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eNCA
4 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Kenya drops terror charge against prominent activist
Kenya dropped terror charges against prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi on Monday, following widespread condemnation, hitting him with a lesser charge of unlawful possession of ammunition. The east African country has seen a wave of deadly protests against President William Ruto and police brutality that have left dozens dead and thousands of businesses destroyed. Rights groups have criticised the government's heavy-handed response, including the recent use of terrorism charges against protesters. Mwangi was detained on Saturday and accused by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations with the "facilitation of terrorist acts", which he denied, declaring in an image on X: "I am not a terrorist". He appeared in a Nairobi court on Monday chanting "Ruto Must Go". His charge sheet, seen by AFP, accused him of "possession of noxious substances to wit three teargas cannisters without lawful authority", as well as a single round of blank ammunition. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a one million shilling (around $7,000) bail bond. "The truth is our president is scared of young people, because young people are organising by themselves, they are going to the streets, they are demanding better," Mwangi told supporters and journalists outside the court. "Our president thinks people are being paid to go to the streets, and they think I am the financer. "People hate Ruto for free," he said. A coalition of rights groups welcomed the court's decision to drop the terrorism charges, but said they remained "deeply concerned" by the use "in more than 100 other cases". It urged authorities to "abandon this dangerous approach to managing public dissent". Mwangi's detention over the weekend triggered significant online condemnation under the hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi. The search warrant police used to raid his home and office accused the campaigner of paying "goons" to stoke unrest at protests last month. Mwangi has been arrested multiple times in Kenya. He was also detained in May in neighbouring Tanzania where he was attending the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire say they were tortured and sexually abused while in the custody of Tanzanian police before being returned to their respective countries. The pair brought a case against the Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan governments to the East African Court of Justice last week. Mass protests initially broke out in Kenya in June 2024 over tax rises, and reignited last month over police violence and illegal detentions.
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Kenya drops terror charge against prominent activist
The east African country has seen a wave of deadly protests against President William Ruto and police brutality that have left dozens dead and thousands of businesses destroyed. Rights groups have criticised the government's heavy-handed response, including the recent use of terrorism charges against protesters. Mwangi was detained on Saturday and accused by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations with the "facilitation of terrorist acts", which he denied, declaring in an image on X: "I am not a terrorist". He appeared in a Nairobi court on Monday chanting "Ruto Must Go". His charge sheet, seen by AFP, accused him of "possession of noxious substances to wit three teargas cannisters without lawful authority", as well as a single round of blank ammunition. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a one million shilling (around $7,000) bail bond. "The truth is our president is scared of young people, because young people are organising by themselves, they are going to the streets, they are demanding better," Mwangi told supporters and journalists outside the court. "Our president thinks people are being paid to go to the streets, and they think I am the financer. "People hate Ruto for free," he said. A coalition of rights groups welcomed the court's decision to drop the terrorism charges, but said they remained "deeply concerned" by the use "in more than 100 other cases". It urged authorities to "abandon this dangerous approach to managing public dissent". Mwangi's detention over the weekend triggered significant online condemnation under the hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi. The search warrant police used to raid his home and office accused the campaigner of paying "goons" to stoke unrest at protests last month. Mwangi has been arrested multiple times in Kenya. He was also detained in May in neighbouring Tanzania where he was attending the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire say they were tortured and sexually abused while in the custody of Tanzanian police before being returned to their respective countries. The pair brought a case against the Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan governments to the East African Court of Justice last week. Mass protests initially broke out in Kenya in June 2024 over tax rises, and reignited last month over police violence and illegal detentions. Rights groups say more than 100 people have been killed by police in the latest round of protests, while the government puts the figure at 42.
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Kenya Drops Terror Charge Against Prominent Activist
Kenya dropped terror charges against prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi on Monday, following widespread condemnation, hitting him with a lesser charge of unlawful possession of ammunition. The east African country has seen a wave of deadly protests against President William Ruto and police brutality that have left dozens dead and thousands of businesses destroyed. Rights groups have criticised the government's heavy-handed response, including the recent use of terrorism charges against protesters. Mwangi was detained on Saturday and accused by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations with the "facilitation of terrorist acts", which he denied, declaring in an image on X: "I am not a terrorist". He appeared in a Nairobi court on Monday chanting "Ruto Must Go". His charge sheet, seen by AFP, accused him of "possession of noxious substances to wit three teargas cannisters without lawful authority", as well as a single round of blank ammunition. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a one million shilling (around $7,000) bail bond. "The truth is our president is scared of young people, because young people are organising by themselves, they are going to the streets, they are demanding better," Mwangi told supporters and journalists outside the court. "Our president thinks people are being paid to go to the streets, and they think I am the financer. "People hate Ruto for free," he said. A coalition of rights groups welcomed the court's decision to drop the terrorism charges, but said they remained "deeply concerned" by the use "in more than 100 other cases". It urged authorities to "abandon this dangerous approach to managing public dissent". Mwangi's detention over the weekend triggered significant online condemnation under the hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi. The search warrant police used to raid his home and office accused the campaigner of paying "goons" to stoke unrest at protests last month. Mwangi has been arrested multiple times in Kenya. He was also detained in May in neighbouring Tanzania where he was attending the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire say they were tortured and sexually abused while in the custody of Tanzanian police before being returned to their respective countries. The pair brought a case against the Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan governments to the East African Court of Justice last week. Mass protests initially broke out in Kenya in June 2024 over tax rises, and reignited last month over police violence and illegal detentions. Rights groups say more than 100 people have been killed by police in the latest round of protests, while the government puts the figure at 42.
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Arrested Kenyan Activist Faces Terror Charges
Renowned Kenyan rights activist Boniface Mwangi is accused of "facilitation of terrorist acts" during protests that rocked the country last month, investigators said on Sunday, a day after he was arrested. At least 19 people were killed during the June 25 demonstration against President William Ruto's government, which was itself called to pay tribute to victims of police violence at another major protest on the same date last year. 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." His detention triggered a wave of condemnation online, with the hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi going viral. Rights groups also condemned his arrest. The search warrant police used to raid Mwangi's home, which an ally shared with journalists, accuses the campaigner of having paid "goons" to stoke unrest at last month's protests. However, 37 rights organisations, along with dozens of activists, said that none had yet managed to prove that a judge had indeed issued that warrant. Mwangi's arrest on "unjustified terrorism allegations" represents an abuse of the justice system to crush the opposition, the organisations said in a joint statement. "What began as targeted persecution of young protesters demanding accountability has metastasized into a full-scale assault on Kenya's democracy," the groups said. Investigators said they had seized two mobile phones, a laptop and several notebooks from Mwangi's 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. Mwangi, a former photojournalist, has been arrested multiple times in Kenya. He was also arrested on May 19 in Dar es Salaam, neighbouring Tanzania's largest city, while turning out in support of treason-accused Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Both Mwangi and a fellow detainee, award-winning Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire, accuse the police of torturing and sexually abusing them while they were in custody. The pair have brought a case to the East African Court of Justice. Since the start of the mass protest movement in Kenya last year, Ruto has faced sharp criticism over a series of abductions and police violence. Rights groups say more than 100 people have been killed since the beginning of the protests, which were harshly suppressed.
Business Insider
28-04-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Financial crisis looms in East African Community as member states owe $58 million
As of March 2025, the East African Community Secretariat revealed that member states collectively owe a staggering $58 million in contributions, setting off a string of challenges for the bloc. This followed a meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers in Arusha, Tanzania this week to address the financial crisis caused by a shortage of funds for programs and staff salaries, which is threatening operations at the Secretariat. The meeting highlighted the cash shortfall as a top agenda item, alongside security concerns. This significant shortfall in funding has put essential programs and staff salaries at risk, threatening to halt operations across the bloc. Zawya reports that the growing debt and the lack of consistent budget remittances from partner states have put the future stability of the EAC in jeopardy. The EAC The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising six member states: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan. Founded in 1967, the EAC aims to promote economic integration, peace, and stability within East Africa. It seeks to foster cooperation in various sectors, including trade, infrastructure development, and security. The EAC operates through various institutions and organs, including the Council of Ministers, the East African Court of Justice, and the EAC Secretariat, which is based in Arusha, Tanzania. The organization has made significant strides toward creating a common market and political federation but faces challenges related to financial constraints and member states' commitment. East African states see cash crunch As of March 2025, EAC member states owed $58,048,678 to the bloc, with only Kenya and Tanzania fully paying their contributions. Uganda has paid 99% of its due amount. The ongoing defaults have forced the EAC Secretariat, led by Veronica Nduva, to scale back operations. The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has skipped sittings, and the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) faces a backlog of over 260 cases, worsened by a lack of permanent judges. The Secretariat is also dealing with a staffing crisis, with 150 vacancies and 30 senior staff set to leave by the end of the financial year.
