Prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has unleashed a blistering account of his detention in Tanzania, claiming he and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire were brutally tortured under orders from Tanzanian authorities, with President Samia Suluhu directly implicated.
In a powerful and deeply personal statement, Mwangi described their ordeal after traveling to Dar es Salaam to show solidarity with opposition leader Tundu Lissu. What was meant to be a peaceful gesture quickly spiraled into a nightmare. Mwangi says the two were arrested, blindfolded, and taken to a secret location. There, they were allegedly stripped, forced to crawl, and beaten while bleeding and unable to walk.
He recounted the pain of hearing Atuhaire groaning nearby, although they couldn’t see each other. Any attempt to speak, he said, was met with violence. Their captors wanted silence, but Mwangi refused to stay quiet.
The activist claims the abuse was led by a Tanzanian state security officer who shadowed them from immigration offices to police custody. Despite the presence of lawyers from the Tanganyika Law Society, Mwangi said the officer intimidated them until they left. He even offered a physical description of the man, saying he reports directly to President Suluhu.
Atuhaire was later found abandoned near the Mutukula border, but her condition remains unclear. Mwangi was released on Thursday. He credited the public outcry for his freedom, but reminded the world that his friend is still missing.
Mwangi placed it in a broader Pan-African struggle for justice. He has previously visited activists across the continent, from Uganda’s Bobi Wine to Tanzania’s Freeman Mbowe, showing support across borders. He insists that this shared activism must continue.
Their trip to Tanzania was meant to be brief. Instead, it ended in horror. Mwangi is clear: what happened to them was political, intentional, and orchestrated. He holds President Suluhu accountable and vows to expose the ordeal.
“This isn’t just about us,” he said. “It’s about the countless Tanzanians silenced by fear. We will not stop speaking for them.”
He ended with a warning. “Tyrants may be united, but so are we. We will keep fighting louder, braver, and bolder.”
By Lucky Anyanje