The family of renowned Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has pleaded for clarity over their kin’s whereabouts after days of silence following reports of his arrest and alleged deportation from Tanzania.
The last time they were in contact with the activist was on Monday afternoon when he was at a Police Station in Tanzania.
But before he could diverge much information, the phone he was using was taken away from him.
Together with Ugandan lawyer and journalist Agatha Atuhaire, they are said to have been apprehended by Tanzanian authorities and have not been seen or heard of since then.
Speaking outside the Tanzanian consulate in Nairobi, Mwangi’s wife, Njeri Mwangi, described the ordeal as agonising and accused authorities of keeping her and the public in the dark.
“They have assured me that once they have any information, they will call me and let me know. But in terms of providing any information, they just sound as blank as we all are. They have no information,” she said.
According to Ms Njeri, the Tanzanian authorities claim Mr Mwangi had been deported, but she says no evidence has been provided.
“So what the Tanzanian authorities are saying is that they have deported him, but there is no proof of this deportation. Why has nobody seen him? Why has nobody heard from him? The way I know Bonny, he'd have contacted me one way or another. He'd have called me, he'd have texted me, he'd have made contact,” she explained, emphasising how uncharacteristic the silence has been.
“It's been since Monday. Today is Wednesday. He's not said anything. It's very, very unlike him. So it makes me really question his well-being, if he's safe, even where he's being held. Because the way I know him, he'd have made contact. So I don't know. I don't know whether he's safe. I think if they're saying that they do have him, they need to prove, show us.”
Njeri Mwangi (left), wife of Boniface Mwangi, and Human rights defenders led by Hussein Khalid converse, flanked by human rights activists, during a press briefing outside the Tanzanian High Commission at Reinsurance Plaza, Nairobi, on May 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
In an open letter to the Kenyan and Tanzanian authorities, Ms Njeri said she had explored all options, including writing to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances.
Ms Njeri asked Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “immediately elevate Boniface's case to a diplomatic priority and publicly demand answers from Tanzania. Your silence thus far has been deafening.”
She also wants the Kenyan embassy in Tanzania to dispatch embassy officials to the Immigration Authorities in Tanzania until Boniface is located.
“We demand public statements on the progress of your search efforts and confirmation that you have invoked all available diplomatic protocols to secure his release,” Ms Njeri told the embassy.
She asked the Tanzanian authorities to acknowledge their custody of Boniface, “provide immediate proof of life, and facilitate his immediate release or, at minimum, allow legal representation and family contact. Your continued denial of information constitutes a grave violation of international law.”
“To the Government of Tanzania: Release Boniface Mwangi. Release Agather Atuhaire. This is not just about two individuals– it is about your commitment to human rights,” Ms Njeri said in the letter.
To the East African Community Secretariat, Ms Njeri wants them to invoke Article 6(d) of the EAC Treaty, which commits Partner States to the principles of democracy, rule of law, and human rights.
“The EAC Secretariat should convene an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers to address this cross-border human rights violation that threatens the very foundation of our regional integration,” Ms Njeri.
In the interview with Nation, Ms Njeri further challenged the authorities to provide proof of life.
“It's very simple. We're in a digital era. Take a phone, take photos, take videos of him, let us see him. It's very simple. And this running around, why shroud all this with secrecy? They just need to come clean and tell us.”
“They need to produce him, wherever he is, however he is. Whether he's wounded, whether he's dead, give us back Boniface…whatever state he's in. If there is an offence he has committed, then let the rule of law take its course.”
Fighting back tears, she described the emotional toll on her family as “very agonising.”
“Because Boni fights for people. If this was anybody, Boni would have been here. And he takes the lead in fighting for people's rights. So for his rights to be violated in this way, it is completely unfair,” she said.
She was flanked by their family members and human rights activists who also called for the release of the duo.
Vocal Africa’s Hussein Khalid said the authorities needed to “state clearly the mistake, the crime that had been committed.”
“As we stand here today, we believe that the government of Kenya and the Tanzanian government are working together to deny Boniface Mwangi his rights to return to Kenya,” Mr Khalid said.
