Wamuzi News Ke
Renowned Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has come forward with horrifying claims of abduction, sexual torture, and humiliation at the hands of Tanzanian security forces.
Speaking to the press alongside Ugandan journalist and fellow activist Agather Atuhaire, Mwangi described what can only be called a nightmare that unfolded during a visit to Dar es Salaam. The duo had traveled to Tanzania to support opposition leader Tundu Lissu during a court hearing—only to end up detained, abused, and dumped like criminals at their respective border points.
“They stripped me. Four men hoisted me upside down, forced lubricant into my rectum, and began inserting objects inside me,” Mwangi said, barely holding back tears.
According to Mwangi, the torture began after unknown men stormed his hotel room in the dead of night, claiming to be police. Despite legal counsel arriving at 3:30 a.m., Mwangi refused to leave until daybreak. But when he eventually stepped outside, he was met by a larger group who tried to snatch him on the spot.
“I ran through the hotel shouting for help. They said they just wanted to question me—but that was a lie,” he said.
The activist says he was dragged to immigration offices, where he was fingerprinted and had his phone searched. Three lawyers from the Tanganyika Law Society who came to his aid were reportedly thrown out under threats of arrest.
“A man claiming to be a government agent punched me in front of the lawyers and Agather. He said I was an enemy of the state and would be taught a lesson,” Mwangi claimed.
The ordeal only escalated. Mwangi says he was blindfolded, shoved into a Land Cruiser with fake number plates, and taken to an undisclosed location where he endured what he described as “brutal sexual assault.”
“They told me to say ‘Asante Samia’—praise to President Samia Suluhu—as they tortured me. They filmed everything and threatened to leak the footage if I ever spoke out,” he said.
Mwangi’s account of abuse is deeply disturbing. He alleges he was forced to squat naked in front of a wall, beaten on the feet, and mocked.
“I could hear Agather screaming in another room. One of the men asked if he could rape her because she looked nice,” Mwangi said, visibly shaken.
By Tuesday morning, the abuse continued with forced showers under surveillance. Mwangi says he had to crawl to the bathroom “like a dog” because he was bleeding and couldn’t walk.
On Wednesday, after enduring another night of kicks and insults, the tone suddenly changed.
“They gave me tea and mandazi. Then they told me I would be released—but warned, ‘If you ever come back, we’ll kill you.’”
Both Mwangi and Atuhaire were eventually dumped at border crossings, Mwangi at Horohoro on the Kenyan side, and Atuhaire at Mutukula in Uganda—without explanation or charges.
This deeply unsettling account raises urgent human rights concerns and puts the spotlight on Tanzania’s security forces. Kenyan officials, rights organizations, and international observers are now under pressure to demand accountability and justice for what may be one of the most chilling cases of cross-border abuse in recent history.
