Activist Boniface Mwangi will have to spend the weekend in the police cells after he was reportedly arrested on Saturday evening by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations DCI.
According to his lawyers the vocal activist is being held at Pangani Police Station and is expected to appear in court on Monday.
There were speculations earlier that Mwangi had gone missing. However Executive Director Hussein Khalid confirmed Mwangi’s location Saturday evening, ending hours of uncertainty about his whereabouts.
Mwangi’s wife, Njeri Mwangi, had confirmed the arrest and said police accused her husband of terrorism and arson before taking him away.
She posted on X“The police have come to our home, Courage Base, and are taking my husband, alleging terrorism and arson. They’ve taken his gadgets and said they’re taking him to DCI Headquarters. I can’t breathe.”
The arrest comes hours after Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire, a Ugandan activist filed a case at the East African Court of Justice against Tanzania, accusing the country of violating human rights.
In a statement, the activists demanded compensation of at least KSh129 million (approximately $ 1 million) and a public apology from Tanzania, as well as Kenya and Uganda, since they claim the two nations aided Tanzania in their illegal deportation.
The two also demanded rehabilitation and psychological support following their ordeal in Tanzania.
This comes even as pressure continues to mount on the authorities to release Mwangi. The police have not issued any formal statement concerning the activist’s arrest.
