Boniface Mwangi Risks Arrest After Skipping Court Over Assault Charges
Kenyan activist and renowned photojournalist Boniface Mwangi is currently facing possible arrest after failing to appear in court to answer to charges of assaulting two police officers in separate incidents.
According to court documents, Mwangi is accused of physically assaulting two law enforcement officers while they were performing their official duties.
The first incident allegedly happened on April 20 at the Metropolitan Court in the Kilimani area of Dagoretti Sub-County, Nairobi. In this case, Mwangi is accused of attacking Sergeant Osman Omar and causing him actual bodily harm while the officer was on duty.
The second incident, as outlined in the charge sheet, reportedly occurred earlier on April 2, at the same court premises.
Mwangi is said to have wilfully assaulted Police Constable Robert Oyola, again inflicting actual bodily harm. In addition to these two counts of assault, the activist faces a third charge of using abusive and offensive language directed at Sergeant Omar.
This allegedly took place at the same court location along Airwing Kodhek Road in Kilimani, and prosecutors claim that his actions were meant to provoke a disturbance and breach of peace.
On April 21, a day after the alleged assault on Sergeant Omar, Mwangi took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to share his side of the story.
He claimed that the entire situation had been twisted. According to him, the real incident took place on the night of Wednesday, April 2, and involved three officers from Kilimani Police Station who allegedly assaulted him at his office.
Mwangi explained that the officers approached his office claiming they were responding to a noise complaint. However, he claimed that one of the officers appeared drunk and was chewing miraa (khat), and began behaving aggressively.
Mwangi said that the officer began roughing him up and even threatened to shoot him with his service weapon.
“I asked the senior officer at the scene why someone clearly intoxicated and chewing miraa was allowed to carry a firearm while on duty. That’s when chaos erupted, and a scuffle broke out,” Mwangi explained in his online post.
The court has now directed that the matter be mentioned again on July 14. This adds to a series of recent troubling experiences faced by the activist, who is known for his bold stance against injustice and government abuse.
Just a few weeks before this court matter, on May 22, Boniface Mwangi had to be airlifted to Nairobi for urgent medical treatment. He was reportedly unable to walk properly following a brutal assault that he claims was carried out by Tanzanian intelligence officers.
This shocking event occurred after Mwangi had travelled to Tanzania as part of a delegation of activists who went to support Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is currently facing treason charges for advocating electoral reforms.
Mwangi was later found abandoned in Ukunda, a town in Kwale County, which lies around 92 kilometers from the Tanzanian border near Lunga Lunga. According to reports, he had been deported by road from Dar es Salaam and left in a distressed state. He was weak, injured, and needed immediate medical attention.
During a press briefing on June 2, Mwangi gave a horrifying account of his experience in Tanzania. He said he was stripped naked, beaten severely, and even sodomised with objects while being held in captivity. His description of the torture shocked many Kenyans.
“They tied me upside down and started beating the soles of my feet. I screamed until my voice gave out, but no tears came because the pain was unbearable. One of them said they should stuff something in my mouth to silence me, and they put underwear in my mouth.
To drown out my screams, they turned on loud gospel music,” Mwangi recounted in a painful and emotional statement.
His brutal experience has drawn strong reactions from human rights groups, civil society organisations, and fellow activists, many of whom have condemned the actions of the Tanzanian authorities and called for justice.
Mwangi, who is widely respected for his bold activism and work in social justice, has continued to voice his concerns about police brutality and state repression.
Despite the growing list of legal and personal challenges he faces, including the assault charges in Kenya and the torture incident in Tanzania, he remains outspoken and determined in his fight for human rights across East Africa.
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