Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has come forward with a harrowing account of torture and sexual assault allegedly suffered while in detention in Tanzania, weeks after travelling there to support opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
During a press briefing on Monday, June 2, a visibly emotional Mwangi described the traumatic events that unfolded during his captivity, which he claims included being stripped, beaten, and sexually violated by his captors.
“They tied me upside down and began beating the soles of my feet. I was screaming so hard, but the pain was so intense that no tears came out,” Mwangi recalled.
He said the assailants shoved underwear into his mouth to muffle his screams and played gospel music at high volume to drown out the noise.
The activist narrated that after the beating, the interrogation turned even more brutal. “They removed the underwear and started questioning me — who I was and who sent me to destabilise the country. Then one of them said ‘weka moto’,” he recounted tearfully.
Mwangi alleged that one of the men inserted lubricant into his rectum before multiple captors violated him with objects. He said the ordeal was recorded on camera, and the assailants threatened to release the footage if he ever spoke out.
Despite undergoing physical abuse in full view of his lawyers and Ugandan activist Agatha Atuhaire — who was also detained — Mwangi said he felt deeply betrayed by the Kenyan government’s silence and its apparent cooperation with Tanzanian authorities.
“I’ve travelled across East Africa to stand with others — including Uganda’s Bobi Wine — but this time, when it was me, my own government abandoned me,” he said.
Atuhaire also shared her own account of mistreatment, saying she was beaten after refusing to undress and was eventually stripped naked and sexually assaulted.
“I always feared for my safety in Uganda, but I never expected such brutality from Tanzania. What I faced convinced me that Tanzania is even more repressive,” she stated.
The two activists were among a group that travelled to Tanzania on May 19 to show solidarity with opposition politician Tundu Lissu, who is facing treason charges for demanding electoral reforms.
Mwangi and Atuhaire were reportedly held incommunicado for three days before being deported by road and dumped at their respective borders. Mwangi was later hospitalised in Kwale, where he was unable to walk due to the extent of the injuries.
Several other human rights defenders — including Martha Karua, Gloria Kimani, and Lynn Ngugi — had been deported a day earlier on May 18. Activists Hussein Khalid, Hanifa Adan, and former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga were also expelled from Tanzania on May 19.
The incident has raised serious concerns over human rights violations in Tanzania and the role of regional governments in protecting civil society actors.
