Written By Lisa Murimi
Police have filed a motion in court requesting permission to detain human rights activist Boniface Mwangi for 21 days to investigate various alleged crimes.
According to court documents, Mwangi is accused of false publication under Section 22(1) of the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crime Act, holding unlawful assembly, and creating a disturbance.
The charges stem from an incident on July 25, 2024, when Mwangi and others allegedly caused a breach of peace by blocking Koinange Street in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
The group placed a white coffin and seven white crosses inscribed with names, distributed T-shirts, and displayed placards with incitement words. The police allege that Mwangi’s social media posts accusing the government of extrajudicial killings incited public unrest.
Police argued that the 21-day detention was necessary to gather sufficient evidence. They have already confiscated the respondents’ phones for forensic analysis to identify financiers and trace the sources of the coffin and crosses.
“Investigations are ongoing, and there is a need to establish the origins of the materials used and their financial backers. We request custodial orders to enable the completion of our investigation,” the police stated.
Further charges may be brought against Mwangi upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the importance of respecting civil society and youth freedoms.
Blinken emphasized the essential role of assembly and expression in Kenya’s democracy and urged the government to honor these constitutional rights.
