Boniface Mwangi alleges assault ahead of court appearance

Activist Boniface Mwangi at the hospital following an alleged assault by police officers on April 2, 2025/ BONIFACE MWANGI/X

Activist Boniface Mwangi has alleged that he was violently assaulted by police officers at his Sema Ukweli office on the night of April 2, 2025, hours before he was to fly out of the country.

In a detailed account shared on his social media account, Mwangi claimed that at around 9:30pm that fateful day, three officers arrived at his office, ostensibly to respond to a noise complaint.

According to him, one of the officers, who he alleged was intoxicated and chewing miraa, began physically harassing him and his colleagues upon entry.

"I tried to ask the senior officer why someone who appeared to be drunk was on duty and armed, and that’s when all hell broke loose," Mwangi said.

"A scuffle broke out, and the officer attempted to cock his gun to shoot me, but a colleague intervened."

He further alleged that the officers handcuffed him aggressively, causing injuries to his hands and wrists, and dragged him out of his office in front of colleagues and neighbours.

"They pulled me so hard the handcuffs tore into my skin, and eventually fell off. None of the officers bothered to pick up the handcuffs, and one of my colleagues picked them. We still have them," he stated.

Mwangi also said he was assaulted again at the police station, stating that one officer struck him in the ribs with the butt of a gun and later followed him into the cell to continue the attack.

"He rained blows on me while another officer held me down. I only got relief when my colleagues outside the station began screaming and demanding they stop beating me,” he said.

He said he was later taken to a Nairobi hospital under police escort, on April 3, 2025, after a police boss found him in writhing pain.

"I was put on pain medication and underwent several procedures to assess the extent of my injuries. Fortunately, there were no fractures, but I had visible injuries on my wrists, knee, lip, left ribs and left eye," Mwangi explained.

Boniface Mwangi in hospital. /BONIFACE MWANGI/X

Mwangi reported the alleged assault and claimed he informed the police boss about the officers leaving their handcuffs behind.

He said the boss told him the officers who had been involved in his arrest were sleeping, and he would speak to them later and get back to him.

“I was released on a Sh5,000 police bond. The boss requested that I don’t publicise my assault as the case was 'under investigation',” he said.

The activist also said during his arrest, his watch and AirPods were taken and have not been returned.

"The officers later sent an emissary to urge me not to share images of my injuries or CCTV footage of the incident," he claimed.

Mwangi, who was scheduled to travel for work to Brazil and Ghana, said nonetheless reported the matter to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) before leaving the country.

Despite alleged assurances from the officers, charges of “offensive conduct and assault”, were later filed against him in his absence at Kibera Law Courts on April 7, 2025, he said.

“My lawyer rushed to court to state that I had travelled, and the court set April 15, 2025 as the date for plea-taking. The magistrate was informed that l was out of the country for work and provided evidence of my invitation letter, air tickets and exit stamps in court,” he said.

“The court still proceeded to issue a warrant of arrest against me because I failed to attend court on that day, and went on to set April 22, 2025 as the new date for taking plea.”

He added: "I was assaulted, injured, and robbed—and yet I’m the one being charged? I got my first black eye at the age of 41 at the hands of a drunk officer."

Authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.

Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga commented on the alleged assault, stating that “if these officers are not prosecuted, we should institute private prosecution. And we should sue the state for damages. IPOA should take action”.

The 2022 Roots Party Presidential running mate Justina Wamae described the incident as a “total abuse of power”.