NAIROBI, KENYA — Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has delivered a harrowing and unfiltered account of alleged torture at the hands of Tanzanian state agents, implicating security officers operating under the authority of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Mwangi, who was released on Thursday after being detained since Monday, said he and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire had traveled to Dar es Salaam to show solidarity with Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Instead, they were arrested, blindfolded, handcuffed, and subjected to what Mwangi described as brutal and dehumanizing treatment.
“We had been tortured, and we were told to strip naked and to go bathe. We couldn’t walk and were told to crawl and go wash off the blood,” Mwangi recounted.
He added that they were not allowed to speak and any attempt to communicate was met with violence.
“I heard Agather groaning in pain. Any attempt to speak was met with kicks and insults. We were taken away in different vehicles to undisclosed locations.”
A State-Orchestrated Abduction?
Mwangi alleges that a specific Tanzanian state security officer, who followed them from Immigration offices to Central Police Station, directed their abduction. The officer reportedly ordered their transfer to a secret location for what he termed as “Tanzanian treatment.”
Mwangi described the officer in detail, noting that he was of average height, overweight, had wavy hair, light brown skin, and wore a black suit and white shirt. He claims this officer works directly under President Suluhu.
“He assaulted me in front of three lawyers from the Tanganyika Law Society. They were intimidated and left, after which we were removed from the station while blindfolded and handcuffed.”
Agather Atuhaire Dumped at the Border
While Mwangi has since been released, Atuhaire was reportedly found abandoned at the Mutukula border between Tanzania and Uganda. Her condition has not yet been confirmed publicly.
“We are yet to fully know what happened to Agather. I am safe, but my comrade is still not well accounted for.”
A Call for Regional Solidarity
Mwangi called for continued cross-border solidarity among African activists, referencing past visits to jailed leaders like Freeman Mbowe in Tanzania, Dr. Stella Nyanzi in Uganda, and Bobi Wine under house arrest.
“Dictators are united, and only our unity can help democratize our respective countries.”
He quoted Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah:
“I’m not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.”
Targeting Suluhu Directly
Mwangi didn’t mince words, placing full responsibility on President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
“What happened to us was done in Suluhu’s name. We shall not be silenced. We will speak for the Tanzanian victims who are too afraid to speak.”
He vowed to bring global attention to the ordeal, insisting that attempts to humiliate and silence him would only strengthen his resolve.
