{"id":29639,"date":"2025-07-22T06:57:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T10:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=29639"},"modified":"2025-07-22T06:58:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T10:58:04","slug":"kenya-u-turn-over-charging-prominent-activist-with-terror-offences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2025\/07\/22\/kenya-u-turn-over-charging-prominent-activist-with-terror-offences\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya U-turn over charging prominent activist with terror offences"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has been charged with illegal possession of ammunition linked to protests last month in which at least 19 people were killed.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He denied the charge and has been released on bail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Mwangi was not charged with &#8220;facilitation of terrorist acts&#8221;, as the police had earlier said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">On Sunday, investigators said they had seized phones, a laptop, and notebooks from his Lukenya home on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, and hard drives, computers, tear gas canisters and a blank firearm round<b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">\u00a0<\/b>from his office in the city.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">His arrest &#8211; and especially the suggestion that he would face terrorism charges &#8211; sparked a wave of condemnation, with human rights groups denouncing it as aimed at suppressing opposition voices. The activist denied the accusations against him, saying in a post on X: &#8220;I am not a terrorist.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The alleged offences are linked to anti-government protests on 25 June when, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), 19 people died when demonstrators clashed with police. Hundreds were also injured and property and businesses were damaged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Most of those killed on 25 June died from gunshot wounds, with human rights groups blaming the police.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">However, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cjwn257j7y2o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">described the demonstrations as &#8220;terrorism disguised as dissent&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0and an &#8220;unconstitutional attempt&#8221; to change the government. He said that several police station had been attacked, with many officers injured and vehicles set on fire.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-h5qd1q-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c93kv37qdeno\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Is William Ruto the most disliked president in Kenya&#8217;s history?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cd6gzx85gdqo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mother mourns &#8216;beautiful&#8217; 12-year-old shot while watching TV during Kenya protests<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The search warrant police used to raid Mr Mwangi&#8217;s home and office accused the activist of paying &#8220;goons&#8221; to stoke unrest at the protests, news agency AFP reports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Outside the court on Monday, Mr Mwangi told supporters and journalists: &#8220;The president think that the anger against his government is manufactured and people are being paid.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;People hate [Kenyan President William] Ruto for free.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Holding a Kenyan flag and wearing a T-shirt bearing the words &#8220;I love my country&#8221;, Mr Mwangi added that he had never worked with &#8220;goons&#8221; his &#8220;entire life&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">As he entered the courtroom, fellow activists and supporters, who had gathered to show their solidarity and support, sang the national anthem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">At least 38 more people were killed in subsequent protests earlier this month, the KNCHR says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Since June last year, more than 100 people have been killed in successive waves of anti-government protests, with police accused of using excessive force to quell each one, leading to further demonstrations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">President William Ruto urged the police to shoot violent protesters in the leg, rather than killing them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">On Sunday, a coalition of 37 rights organisations condemned Mr Mwangi&#8217;s arrest on &#8220;unjustified terrorism allegations&#8221;, describing it as the &#8220;latest escalation in a systematic crackdown that has seen hundreds of young Kenyans detained on fabricated terrorism charges&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;What began as targeted persecution of young protesters demanding accountability has metastasized into a full-scale assault on Kenya&#8217;s democracy,&#8221; they said in a joint statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">James Orengo, a veteran politician and governor of Siaya county, said it was &#8220;ridiculous to charge Boniface Mwangi and our children who have demonstrated a high level of political consciousness with terrorism&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Mwangi has been detained multiple times in the past, and has been at the centre of many protests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In May,\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cwy6x7jgx75o\">he and a Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania<\/a>, where they had travelled to attend the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is accused of treason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Following their release several days later, both said they had been abducted, tortured and sexually assaulted. They have since filed a case at the regional East African Court of Justice over the matter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o1fzgd-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\" data-component=\"subheadline-block\">\n<h2 id=\"Who-is-Boniface-Mwangi\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span role=\"text\">Who is Boniface Mwangi?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Mwangi is widely regarded as one of Kenya&#8217;s most prominent and fearless activists with a significant part of his life defined by his push for social justice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He has been the face of many protests in the past, some of them dramatic and symbolic. This includes the 2013 demonstration when he brought piglets covered in blood to the gates of parliament in a protest against &#8220;greedy MPs&#8221; \u2013 who were demanding a pay increase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In 2024, he called on people to bring coffins to the streets in a symbol of the way he said MPs were taxing Kenyans &#8220;to death&#8221; and to represent people killed by police in protests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He has been beaten, arrested and detained many times for his bold and provocative actions. He has often spoken about the physical and emotional scars from his years of activism \u2013 and yet he has remained undeterred.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A former photojournalist, Mr Mwangi rose to global prominence after he documented the deadly violence that followed the 2007 election, with his powerful images capturing the depth of the crisis in which more than 1,000 people died and 350,000 forced from their homes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He subsequently won the CNN Africa Photojournalist of the Year Award in 2008.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Mwangi has since said that the journey of documenting these images personally affected him and left him disillusioned. He later moved to activism, and has since won other accolades, including being named among the top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c5y9nm1vpl3o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has been charged with illegal possession of ammunition linked to protests last month in which at least 19 people were killed. He denied the charge and has been released on <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2025\/07\/22\/kenya-u-turn-over-charging-prominent-activist-with-terror-offences\/\" title=\"Kenya U-turn over charging prominent activist with terror offences\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2,6],"tags":[11485,11483,138,1160,11482,11481,8131,11484,23],"class_list":{"0":"post-29639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-human-rights","8":"category-news","9":"category-world","10":"tag-activism","11":"tag-east-african-court-of-justice","12":"tag-human-rights","13":"tag-kenya","14":"tag-kenya-national-commission-on-human-rights","15":"tag-lukenya","16":"tag-nairobi","17":"tag-social-justice","18":"tag-terrorism","19":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29639"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29642,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29639\/revisions\/29642"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}