Bonface Mwangi says documenting incidences during the post-election violence was traumatizing.
But since sitting pretty and doing nothing did not help heal his trauma, he decided to go out and fight for Kenyans.
"I saw the violence, the trauma is what saw me become an activist," Mwangi said.
He spoke to the Star in Arusha, Tanzania, while attending the Africans Rising conference from August 29 to August 31.
At the age of 14, Mwangi was expelled from a rehabilitation centre where he was supposed to be getting help to reform.
He had exposed a set of wrongdoings that the management did not approve of. Mwangi was expelled.
"I exposed some injustices and then they kicked me out. It was a mini prison in fact I had a prison number," he said.
It was after the expulsion that Mwangi embarked on professional photography.
However, his experience in photography did more harm to him in 2007.
"It affected me as an individual, I saw some of the killings, I documented dead bodies, women and children who were affected," he said.
The activist did not seek therapy to heal from the trauma. He said he was afraid of medicine which had been prescribed.
Instead, he chose to speak out on injustices in the country.
"I had nightmares, suicidal thoughts, insomnia. Finding something to do about it was a way of healing," he added.
Mwangi hilariously added that his scare of therapy was fuelled by Michael Jackson's experience.
"It was around the same time that he had been overdosed by his doctor. He was having problems sleeping," he said.
WATCH: The latest videos from the Star
