Rights activist Boniface Mwangi has reportedly been abducted from his home and his whereabouts remains unknown.
His wife Njeri Mwangi and fellow activists on Sunday said the blogger and photojournalist was roughed up and driven out of his home in Machakos County, popularly known as Courage Base, at 7am.
“This morning, at around 7.15, six uninformed people went to Courage Base and forcefully took my husband @bonifacemwangi from the house. I have no idea who, why or where they have taken him,” Njeri wrote on X.
Rights activist and Vocal Africa Chief Executive Hussein Khalid tweeted: “Just received reliable information that @bonifacemwangi has been abducted by unknown persons (probably sleuths from @DCI_Kenya) and taken to an unknown destination. He was picked (up) from his family home In Ukambani (Courage Base) around 7am.”
The alleged abduction comes after an online campaign by Mr Mwangi to ‘occupy’ the Standard Chartered Marathon in Nairobi today.
Through his social media pages, the activist has been mobilising protesters to join the marathon in demonstrations dubbed #OccupyStanChart.
Mwangi had urged Kenyans attending the marathon to perform some tasks that would help reform the country as they cheer on the athletes.
“Will you come and cheer your friends at the Standard Chartered Marathon? You are a vital part of the race; your cheering will motivate and energise the athletes and help reform our country in the process,” he wrote on his social media pages.
The fiery activist urged Kenyans to carry the Kenyan flag as a symbol of resistance to “Ruto’s dictatorship.” He also urged them to wear bandanas emblazoned with the anti-government slogan “Ruto Must Go”.
Mr Mwangi further encouraged the participants to record protest chants and incidents of police brutality and share them online as a form of digital activism.
The activist had also rallied demonstrators to converge at Uhuru Gardens, where the marathon’s awards ceremony took place.
He also said the protests would be in honour of all victims of police brutality during the anti-government protests that led the death of more than 60 people.
The reported abduction is the activist’s latest troubles. Last month, fellow activists thwarted efforts by the police to arrest Mwangi during a protest in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
On that occasion, the activists were demanding justice for several people who have been reported missing following the anti-government protests.
The incident was captured on video and widely shared on social media. The video captured Mr Mwangi lying on the ground with a handful of fellow activists valiantly shielding him from police officers who were desperately trying to get hold of him.
The protesting activists had threatened to deliver a petition to the president’s office at Harambee House.
