Popular activist and journalist Boniface Mwangi has narrated a terrifying ordeal in which he was nearly killed by a police officer who was allegedly drunk and violent.
Mwangi took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, April 21, to share the details of the incident that occurred on the night of Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
According to Mwangi, the shocking event happened at his Sema Ukweli offices when three police officers from Kilimani Police Station arrived, claiming they were responding to a noise complaint.
Things quickly took a dark turn when one of the officers, who Mwangi says appeared drunk and was chewing miraa, began harassing him aggressively.
The situation escalated further when the officer reportedly attempted to shoot him with his gun.
“I asked the senior officer present why a visibly drunk officer who was chewing miraa was armed and on duty.
That’s when everything turned chaotic, and a violent scuffle broke out,” Mwangi recalled. He was then handcuffed, forcefully dragged from his office, and bundled into a police vehicle.
During the arrest, the same officer who had roughed him up inside the office allegedly hit him in the ribs using his firearm.
Mwangi added that the officers yanked the handcuffs so violently that they cut his hands and wrists, eventually snapping and falling to the ground.
The police reportedly ignored the broken handcuffs, leaving one of Mwangi’s colleagues to pick them up. “We still have those handcuffs as evidence,” he said.
When they arrived at the Kilimani Police Station, the nightmare didn’t end. The intoxicated officer is said to have followed him into the cells and continued beating him.
Another officer allegedly held Mwangi down as the assault continued, with the victim screaming for help.
His cries were eventually heard by his colleagues, who had followed him to the police station and began demanding that the officer stop the abuse.
The following day, the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) heard about Mwangi’s injuries and arranged for him to be taken to Nairobi Hospital.
Although Mwangi didn’t suffer internal injuries, he had bruises on his wrists and knees, a swollen lip, and pain in his rib area.
“I was taken to Nairobi Hospital under armed escort. When I arrived, I was immediately given painkillers and underwent several medical checks, including X-rays, a head scan, and an ultrasound.
This was to check if I had suffered any internal injuries, especially after the officer, Ouko, punched me near my kidneys. Fortunately, there were no fractures,” he explained.
After his hospital visit, Mwangi was returned to the station and later narrated everything to the OCS.
The OCS reportedly asked him not to make the matter public and assured him that action would be taken against the officers involved. Mwangi was then released on a Ksh5,000 police bond.
Mwangi also revealed that the same three officers later approached him, asking him again not to go public about the incident, to which he initially agreed.
“The OCS asked me to keep the matter quiet because they said the case was under investigation,” Mwangi added.
However, he mentioned that the officers still had not returned his watch and AirPods, which they took during his arrest.
Losing faith in the OCS’s promise, Mwangi also reported the incident to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), seeking accountability from a higher authority.
Mwangi later discovered that while he was out of the country, the police filed charges against him at the Kibera Law Courts. They accused him of “offensive conduct and assault.”
Despite his absence being due to travel for work, the court reportedly issued an arrest warrant when he failed to appear for a scheduled hearing.
His lawyer quickly moved to court to explain his absence, showing evidence that Mwangi was out of the country, including travel documents, air tickets, and an invitation letter.
The court accepted the explanation and set a new date for plea-taking on April 15, 2025.
This deeply troubling incident has once again raised concerns about police misconduct, abuse of power, and the safety of citizens even within their private workplaces.
Mwangi’s account sheds light on the challenges activists face in Kenya and the urgent need for reforms in law enforcement.
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