My Life is in Danger - Boniface Mwangi Claims After Police Show Up at His Hotel Room in Tanzania

Activist Boniface Mwangi on Monday morning, May 19, claimed that his life is in danger after unidentified armed men showed up outside his hotel room in Dar es Salaam.   

In a series of social media posts, Mwangi said that the men refused to identify themselves despite claiming to be law enforcement officers.  

"My life is in danger. I'm at Serena Hotel, Dar es Salaam, and there are armed men in civilian clothes outside my room. They claim they are police officers, but they have refused to identify themselves. They will have to break the door to remove me here. I'm not going to open it," he said. 

Mwangi expressed fear for his life, citing the deteriorating human rights situation in Tanzania under President Samia Suluhu’s administration. 

"I'm scared for my life because there is a lot of abduction in this country; a lot of executions, and people are in jail for resisting President Samia Suluhu's dictatorship. That's why I can't open this door," he added.

Mwangi later confirmed that the armed individuals had moved away from his door and were reportedly in the hotel lobby. 

He said he was prepared to cooperate once Tanzanian lawyers dealing with the matter arrived.

"The unidentified armed men have left my door. I'm informed they have moved to the hotel lobby. My bags are packed, and I'm ready to go with those people when the Tanzanian lawyers who are following up on this matter arrive. For now, l will stay put. Thank you for the solidarity," he said. 

This incident followed another in which former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, alongside activists Hussein Khalid and Hanifa Adan, were denied entry into Tanzania. 

The trio was travelling to Tanzania to observe legal proceedings involving Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu, who was charged with treason.

In a series of social media posts, Khalid said they had traveled to Tanzania as a show of solidarity with local lawyers and human rights defenders. 

“Willy Mutunga, Hanifa Adan, and I have been detained at Julius Nyerere Airport, Dar es Salaam, as we came in for the observance of Tundu Lissu’s case.

"The trip was in solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and human rights defenders. They have not given reasons for the detention," he said in one of his updates.

According to Khalid, the three were escorted to an interrogation room inside the airport and told to wait for a senior officer.

“Following our detention, we’ve been brought to the interrogation room. They’ve told us to wait here for their senior officer – I guess the chief interrogator! We still don’t have our passports, nor do we know why we’re being detained," he added.

Hanifa later put up an update claiming that plans were set in place to have them deported to Kenya.