Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi will now be charged at the Kahawa Law Courts with possession of ammunition and tear gas canisters, after earlier charges related to the facilitation of terrorist acts were dropped.
In a charge sheet seen by Nairobileo.co.ke, Mwangi is accused of being in possession of one 7.62mm blank round and three unused teargas canisters, which were recovered during a search conducted at his Hurlingham-based office, Mageuzi Hub.
The changes in the charge sheet come just a day after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) released a statement explaining the circumstances surrounding Mwangi’s arrest on Saturday, July 19.
According to the DCI, Mwangi was apprehended at his Lukenya residence in Machakos County in connection with the facilitation of terrorist activities during the June 25 protests.
During the arrest, detectives reportedly seized two mobile phones, a laptop, and notebooks.
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He was then escorted to his office, where the alleged ammunition and other items were recovered, including external hard drives, cheque books, company seals and stamps, and additional electronic devices.
Mwangi has since been held at Pangani Police Station and was expected to be arraigned today, with amended charges.
The activist’s legal team dismissed the arrest as politically motivated, while civil society organizations called for his immediate release and for due process to be followed.
The case has drawn widespread attention, with human rights groups, politicians, and citizens in general warning against what they describe as increasing state pressure on activists and protest organizers.
Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka was among the first to condemn Mwangi’s arrest, joining a growing list of leaders and rights groups rallying behind the activist.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) was direct in its statement, branding the charges against Mwangi as an apparent attempt to criminalize dissent.
“We know who is not a terrorist. And we know who the real terrorist is, a regime that targets, persecutes, and kills its people simply for exercising their constitutional right to protest,” the KHRC statement read in part.
