NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi’s wife, Njeri, has emotionally pleaded with the Tanzanian authorities to release her husband following his detention.
Y News has gathered that Mwangi is being held in the East African nation alongside Ugandan activist and journalist Agather Atuhaire.
“It’s been very difficult because Bonnie fights for people. If this could have been anybody else, Bonnie could have been here,” Njeri said before breaking down in tears.
According to Njeri, who was addressing journalists outside the Tanzanian embassy in Nairobi, where she had joined other peaceful protesters in pushing for the release of the activists, her husband has always taken the lead in fighting for people’s rights.
“So, for his rights to be violated in this way, it is completely unfair. He fights for people all over the world. So, it is not fair that they are holding him. Whatever they are holding him for, it’s not fair; it’s not right. They need to release and send him home,” she lamented.
How Boniface Mwangi was arrested and detained in Tanzania
Already, a section of Kenyan rights campaigners has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu’s administration to release Mwangi, warning that failure to do so would trigger protests, including a march to Tanzania’s High Commission in Nairobi.
Mwangi, a prominent human rights defender and photojournalist, was arrested Monday at the Serena Hotel in Dar es Salaam, where he had travelled to attend opposition leader Tundu Lissu’s high-profile treason trial.
Today I joined comrades and the family of @bonifacemwangi outside the Tanzanian High Commission to demand for his release.We reiterated that both the governments of Kenya and Tanzania, must respect the rule of law and release @bonifacemwangi and @AAgather forthwith.
Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire was also detained alongside him.
The two spent the night at the city’s central police station, according to Mwangi’s Tanzanian lawyer, Jebra Kambole.
As of Tuesday morning, Mwangi’s wife, Njeri, reported she had been unable to reach him, raising concerns over his well-being and access to legal counsel.
What President Suluhu told foreigners meddling in Tanzania’s affairs
Speaking in Nairobi, the Kongamano la Mapinduzi—a left-leaning coalition of activists, civil society organisations, and political movements—condemned the Tanzanian authorities, calling the arrest part of a broader crackdown on democratic freedoms across East Africa.
“Our comrades are still in custody. We have no contact with them—they’ve been denied access to phones,” said Don Githuku, a member of the coalition. “We are giving Suluhu 24 hours to release them. If not, we will occupy the Tanzanian High Commission—and we will go to Tanzania ourselves.”
#KENYA: MKE WA MWANAHARAKATI, BONIFACE MWANGI, ANAYESHIKILIWA TANZANIA ALIA HADHARANI KUSHINIKIWA KUACHIWA KWAKE Mke wa mwanaharakati Boniface Mwangi, Njeri Mwangi, ameongoza maandamano nje ya Ubalozi wa Tanzania jijini Nairobi, akishinikiza kuachiliwa kwa mume wake. Inaripotiwa
The group branded Suluhu an “oppressor” and accused her of collaborating with Kenyan President William Ruto and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni to silence dissent across the region.
“This is not just about Tanzania. Our entire region is witnessing a coordinated assault on democratic space,” Githuku said. “Jumuiya [the East African Community] has been hijacked by three culprits who are afraid of accountability.”
Their remarks came a day after President Suluhu publicly warned foreign activists against “interfering” in Tanzania’s internal affairs.
“We have started to observe a trend in which activists from within our region are attempting to intrude and interfere in our affairs,” Suluhu said in a televised speech during the launch of the country’s new foreign policy.
