Weeks after leaving the online presence after sharing a worrying post, Activist Boniface Mwangi has surfaced giving an account to account detail of what transpired.
According to him, on August 3, 2024, he wanted to end his life as he could no longer bear the trauma from abductions and killings of Kenyans who had been protesting against the government.
The recent trauma, triggered his previous traumas that he encountered while serving as a photojournalist and he couldn’t bear it any more.
“I have faced many dangers since I started my career as a press photographer. I covered the crackdown on the Mungiki and their subsequent executions. I was a journalist when police used to execute suspects and display their bodies to the media. I documented more bodies in the aftermath of the 2007 post-election violence, when I witnessed the horrors of Kenyans who had been chopped up by their fellow neighbours, and houses razed to the ground with the occupants still trapped inside.
“When Ruto talks about the discovery of bodies in River Yala, where police hit squads abducted, tortured, and dumped bodies in the river, it was myself and other activists who raised the alarm. In my brief life, I have witnessed the worst version of humans towards their fellow humans. But what breaks me is that perpetrators are never held accountable.
These old traumas were triggered afresh by the police brutality witnessed in the recent youth-led protests,” Mwangi said.
“The recent harassment recalled the violent arrests I suffered as an activist. l have been wheeled in for surgeries four times to treat injuries inflicted upon me on account of my activism,” he went on.
According to him, President William Ruto denies that Kenyans were abducted during the protests but over 60 Kenyans were forcefully taken and some of them are still missing to date. He added that he narrowly escaped abduction.
“Do they expect us to believe that all these people disappeared themselves? The government is lying. We all know that it’s lying. Yet the silence from those who should be questioning the government is deafening. Still, I am among the lucky ones, even though the constant threat of violence and murder from the government takes a toll on one’s mental wellness,” Mwangi said.
He also said that his life is no longer the same because of threats. He however vows that he he will not bow to intimidation.
“Since June 2024, l have been arrested three times, and been charged and released by the courts twice. This is tantamount to abuse of the court process. My children are traumatised by the possibility of their dad getting abducted or murdered.
“Not so long ago, I routinely woke up early for a morning run with my children. That is no longer possible. When it gets dark, and I’m not home, everyone is worried. My social and business life has been affected, but sometimes I’ll throw caution to the wind and venture out because the intent of this intimidation is to instil fear in us – and I won’t allow them to have that much control over me,”