Activist Boniface Mwangi recounts harrowing ordeal in Tanzanian custody

Activist Boniface Mwangi has come forward with a disturbing account of his recent detention in Tanzania, claiming he was subjected to inhumane treatment by security officers.

Mwangi recounted that during the ordeal, he was stripped naked, tied upside down, and endured sexual assault and degrading acts at the hands of those holding him.

He shared these harrowing details during a press briefing on Monday, where he appeared alongside Ugandan journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire.

The two had travelled to Dar es Salaam to show solidarity with Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu during a court appearance, only to find themselves targeted and mistreated.

Their joint statement painted a grim picture of the risks faced by regional activists advocating for democratic freedoms.

The two individuals were detained without communication for several days before being abandoned at different border locations. Mwangi was left at Horohoro on the Kenyan side, while Atuhaire was dropped off at Mutukula along the Uganda-Tanzania border.

They both recounted being seized without due process and subjected to humiliating and inhumane treatment at the hands of Tanzanian security personnel.

'We were kidnapped by Tanzanian forces while inside the country and tortured," Mwangi recounted, visibly emotional.

"They ordered me to undress. As soon as I did, four men grabbed me and quickly hoisted me upside down. They applied lubricant into my rectum and proceeded to insert foreign objects into me," he said, tears streaming down his face.

Mwangi recounted that he had just checked into his hotel when, in the early hours of the next morning, unidentified men came banging aggressively on his door, demanding that he go with them.

"I told them I wasn’t stepping out of my room at that hour. Around 3:30 am, a man claiming to be a lawyer showed up, saying the group were police officers. Even then, I stood my ground and locked myself in until daylight," he said.

He later got in touch with Atuhaire, asking for help to retrieve his belongings as he made arrangements to leave. But when he came down from his room, the group of men, now larger, tried to seize him.

"I started shouting across the hotel and ran to find my colleagues. The men pursued me, insisting they only wanted to ask me a few questions," Mwangi narrated.

Mwangi recounted that he was taken to the immigration offices, where officials fingerprinted him, took his photograph, and demanded access to his mobile phone.

He mentioned that although three lawyers affiliated with the Tanganyika Law Society initially accompanied them, they were later denied entry and prevented from offering further assistance.

According to Mwangi, Kenya’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Isaac Njenga, informed him around 6 p.m. that he was going to be deported.

"Not long after that, a man who claimed to be from a state agency began assaulting me in the presence of the lawyers and Agather. He called me a threat to the state and vowed to make an example out of me," Mwangi narrated.

He further alleged that the same individual issued a rape threat against Atuhaire before placing both of them under arrest.

Mwangi revealed that the abuse escalated when they were taken to the Central Police Station and later blindfolded and transported in a Land Cruiser.

"There were crude weapons and fake license plates in the vehicle. The men weren’t in uniform and reeked of alcohol," Mwangi recalled.

He said they were later taken to an undisclosed location where he endured what he described as a vicious and degrading sexual assault.

"They took off the handcuffs and ordered me to undress. I was tied upside down, flogged on the soles of my feet, and they forced foreign objects into my rectum. All the while, they demanded that I say 'Asante Samia', a show of allegiance to their president," Mwangi narrated.

He claimed the entire incident was filmed by the perpetrators, who used the footage as leverage.

"They warned me that if I ever talked, they’d release the videos. They grilled me about my family, my email, even my passwords," he said.

Later, he recounted being forced to squat naked, facing a wall, while another man physically assaulted him. From a nearby room, he could hear Atuhaire’s screams.

"One of them even asked for permission to rape her, saying she looked attractive," he added, visibly shaken.

On Tuesday morning, the two were ordered to shower under armed watch.

"I had to crawl like a dog to the bathroom, and I couldn’t walk. I was still bleeding," Mwangi said.

He was later moved to another location in a different Land Cruiser, which he described as being along the coast.

"They hurled insults and kicked me throughout the night," he said.

"By Wednesday morning, they gave me tea and mandazi. Later that afternoon, their tone shifted. They told me I would be released, but warned: ‘If you ever come back, we will kill you.’"

Mwangi recounted being forced to walk barefoot under supervision as part of a humiliating ordeal meant to "teach him how to walk again."

On Thursday morning, he said he was driven for several hours before being abandoned by the roadside near the Horohoro border.

“They gave me Sh400 and Sh20,000 Tanzanian shillings for transport. A boda boda rider helped me cross into Kenya,” Mwangi said.

Both Mwangi and Atuhaire are now urging the international community to take notice of human rights abuses in Tanzania.

"We were tortured simply for showing solidarity with someone. It’s unacceptable, and no one else should have to go through this," Mwangi added.