Boniface Mwangi Recounts Horrific Detention & Torture In Tanzania

Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has shared alarming details of his four-day detention and alleged torture in Tanzania, following his release on Thursday, May 22. His disappearance had sparked widespread concern across the East African region.

Mwangi traveled to Dar es Salaam on Monday, May 19, to observe the treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. However, he was apprehended by suspected military officers and went missing until his release. He was detained alongside Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire, whose current whereabouts remain unknown.

A Harrowing Ordeal

Upon his release, Mwangi took to social media to describe the brutal experience he and Atuhaire endured. “Agather is still missing in Tanzania,” he stated, recounting that the last time he heard her voice was on Tuesday morning during a severe torture session.

“We had been tortured, and we were told to strip naked and go bathe,” he wrote. “We couldn’t walk and were told to crawl and go wash off the blood. We were handcuffed and blindfolded, so I didn’t even see her, but I heard her groaning in pain as they barked orders at us.”

According to Mwangi, they were held incommunicado in an undisclosed location, subjected to torture, and denied legal access. He claimed the torture was overseen by a man identified as a state security agent with direct ties to the presidency.

“One of the lawyers said he is state security and reports directly to President Suluhu,” Mwangi revealed. He described the man as overweight, with a potbelly, short wavy hair, and light brown skin, who had allegedly confronted Mwangi and his legal team at the Central Police Station before ordering the activists moved to a secret location for what he termed “Tanzanian treatment.”

Accusations Against Tanzanian Authorities and President Suluhu

Mwangi’s detailed account follows his earlier promise to speak out about his detention. In a strongly worded statement, he accused Tanzanian authorities of attempting to intimidate him and silence dissent through fear.

The activist directly implicated Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu in the ordeal, asserting that all actions taken against him and Atuhaire were carried out in her name.

“We went through the worst form of torture and were threatened with public humiliation if we revealed what they did to us. You cannot torture us, however, and then dictate how we should react,” he stated. “Everything that happened to us in Tanzania was done in Samia Suluhu’s name, and we will ensure the world gets to know. We shall speak for the Tanzanian victims who are too afraid to speak. What Suluhu did to us will be revealed to the world.”

Mwangi declared, “We will not be silenced.” His whereabouts remained unknown until Thursday when he was deported from Tanzania by road and abandoned near Ukunda in Kwale County, Kenya.