Prominent activist Boniface Mwangi will be charged with terrorism for his alleged role in facilitating the anti-government protest on June 25 in Nairobi and other major towns across Kenya. Mwangi, who was arrested at his home near Nairobi, is being held at a police station in the capital and will be arraigned on Monday, Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on X.
The activist denies the charges, saying in a social media post shared by his supporters: "I am not a terrorist."
Authorities allege that Mwangi played a key logistical and financial role in the protests, which left at least 50 people dead, public property destroyed, and security officers injured. His arrest has drawn criticism from civil society and human rights groups, who says the government is using terrorism laws to suppress dissent.
His wife, Njeri, said on social media that officers mentioned terrorism and arson while arresting him and confiscating his equipment. Mwangi, a longtime government critic, previously faced arrests and threats, but many viewed this incident as a significant escalation in the state's crackdown on youth-led protests.
Investigators said they had seized two mobile phones, a laptop and several notebooks from his home in Lukenya, east of the capital, plus hard drives, two more computers, two unused tear gas canisters and a blank firearm cartridge from his office in Nairobi.
