'Four dark days': Activist Boniface Mwangi speaks after release
"I've been tortured very badly. I can barely walk," Mwangi said.
Activist Boniface Mwangi has spoken out after returning to Kenya from Tanzania, where he says he was tortured during his four-day detention.
Speaking from a wheelchair at Moi International Airport, Mombasa, before being flown to Nairobi for medical care, Mwangi said he had been subjected to brutal treatment and expressed deep concern for Ugandan journalist and human rights activist Agatha Atuhaire, who was arrested alongside him.
"I have gone through very four (sic) dark days; I've been tortured very badly. I can barely walk," Mwangi said. "But I’m very concerned about Agather, because we were tortured together, and they did very horrible things to us," he said.
"So I hope that Agather is safe, so you should know that you’re praying for her and for our safety. And thank you to everyone who spoke, who stood with us in solidarity; it was not in vain."
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights confirmed that Mwangi was in Ukunda, Kwale, and said it was arranging his transfer to Nairobi for medical attention.
"He is in high spirits. The Commission and other partners are making arrangements to transfer him to Nairobi for medical attention," it said.
In a photo shared on the commission’s official X platform, Mwangi appeared with his wife and other activists.
Mwangi was arrested on Monday, May 19, at a hotel in Dar es Salaam alongside Atuhaire.
The two had travelled to attend a court session for Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Their sudden disappearance raised alarm, and their exact location remained unclear for days.
Other activists, including former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, were denied entry into Tanzania and deported from Julius Nyerere International Airport.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga was among the few Kenyan figures who managed to enter Tanzania without issue.
Back in Nairobi, human rights groups had threatened protests across the Tanzanian border if Mwangi was not released within 24 hours. They warned they would start by occupying the Tanzanian Embassy in Kenya.
