By Diaspora Times Editorial Team

In a disturbing turn of events, the Kenyan government has intensified its crackdown on civil liberties by targeting one of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders, Boniface Mwangi. His arrest under accusations of “facilitating terrorist acts” during the June 25 protests paints a grim picture of a nation sliding into repression.

The protest in question—an anti-government demonstration that saw thousands of young Kenyans take to the streets—was marred by bloodshed. At least 19 people lost their lives, and yet again, police brutality took center stage. It was a date steeped in tragic symbolism, as it also marked one year since another protest where similar violence was unleashed on demonstrators. But instead of accountability, the Ruto administration has chosen to vilify and imprison the messengers.

Boniface Mwangi was dragged from his home in Lukenya, his personal devices seized, and his name plastered across national headlines as a “terrorist.” Yet Mwangi’s only crime is courage: the courage to speak, to protest, to document, and to expose injustice. A former photojournalist and longtime activist, Mwangi has stood firm against the corrupt elite for years. That he is now branded a terrorist reveals the extent to which the current government is willing to go to silence dissent.

The arrest has sparked widespread outrage. The hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi has gone viral. Thirty-seven human rights organizations and countless individual activists have condemned the detention, declaring it an abuse of state power. The supposed search warrant used in the raid on Mwangi’s home has not been independently verified. This suggests that due process is being bypassed in favor of political expediency.

More troubling is the growing pattern: activists and opposition voices are being targeted with the same weaponized charges of terrorism, sedition, or incitement. These tactics resemble those of authoritarian regimes that use legal frameworks as instruments of suppression.

It is not just Mwangi. Across Kenya, youth protesters, community organizers, and independent journalists face constant threats. The government, under the guise of maintaining order, is criminalizing basic freedoms: the right to assemble, the right to protest, and the right to question authority. Even freedom of worship is under threat, as religious leaders who dare speak truth to power are labeled political operatives.

The international community must not remain silent. Kenya’s democratic institutions are being eroded, not from external enemies, but from within. If this trajectory continues, the country risks becoming a state where fear replaces freedom and silence replaces speech.

The Diaspora Times condemns the arrest of Boniface Mwangi and the continued persecution of Kenya’s civil society. We stand with those fighting for justice, transparency, and constitutional rights. We urge all freedom-loving people—Kenyan or otherwise—to raise their voices against this new authoritarian drift.

Kenya is not a government-owned entity. It belongs to the people. And no amount of repression will extinguish the fire of truth.