Activist Boniface Mwangi has claimed his life is in danger, alleging that state operatives are behind a renewed campaign of intimidation, surveillance, and threats targeting him and his family.
In a detailed statement on X, Mwangi said the latest scare occurred on October 9, 2025, while travelling from Nairobi to Kilifi County.
He explained that a used round of ammunition was found inside his carry-on bag after he landed in Malindi.
“The spent cartridge was tucked between my clothes. It could only have been slipped in during the short moment my bag was out of sight at JKIA,” he stated.
Mwangi said he feared the bullet casing was planted to incriminate him, noting that he has previously faced false charges of illegal ammunition possession.
He opted not to report the matter to police, saying he no longer trusts them.
“I shared the evidence with a human rights organization and my legal team for my safety,” he added.
The activist accused the government of targeting him for his involvement in last year’s anti-finance bill protests and his vocal criticism of state excesses.
He said he has survived multiple arrests, abduction attempts, and violent assaults by police.
“I have been arrested five times since June 2024, and narrowly escaped being kidnapped outside City Mortuary,” he said.
Mwangi also recounted an incident in April 2025 when he was allegedly beaten inside a police cell at Kilimani Police Station.
He said he ended up in hospital, yet was later charged with assaulting the officers who arrested him.
He further accused the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) of illegally seizing and cloning his personal devices during a raid at his home and office in July.
According to Mwangi, the harassment has escalated since he declared his intention to run for president.
He claimed the state was using online trolls, false criminal charges, and ethnic propaganda to discredit him.
“The regime wants to destroy my reputation before they kill me,” he wrote.
He compared his experiences to those of Tanzania’s opposition figure Tundu Lissu and Uganda’s Kizza Besigye, both of whom have survived political persecution. Mwangi warned that if he is harmed, “look no further than the State.”
Quoting Kenya Human Rights Commission data, he said 159 extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances were recorded in 2024, with no prosecutions to date.
Despite the danger, Mwangi vowed to continue his activism.
“True courage is not the absence of fear. I will never stop fighting for a better Kenya,” he said.