‘If They Kill Me, Blame The State’: Mwangi’s Chilling Warning After Bullet Found in Luggage at JKIA

Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi has raised alarm over what he describes as escalating threats to his life, claiming state agents planted a spent bullet cartridge in his luggage at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The incident occurred on October 9 as Mwangi travelled to Kilifi County.

After passing through two security checks with his carry-on bag, airline staff took the bag just before boarding and issued him a luggage slip. Upon arrival at Malindi Airport, he discovered a used ammunition round tucked between his clothes.

“The spent cartridge was slipped into my bag during the brief moment that it was not in my possession,” Mwangi said in a statement. “There is only one way of interpreting this incident; a direct threat to my life.”

The activist, who announced his presidential bid in July, said he did not report the matter to police on advice from lawyers and human rights defenders who feared it could lead to his arrest. He instead documented the discovery with photos and video, reporting it to a human rights organisation.

The suitcase with the bullet as discovered by Boniface Mwangi.

Mwangi’s statement comes amid what he describes as systematic harassment by state agencies.

Since June 2024, he has been arrested five times, with charges ranging from assault to terrorism and money laundering, though most cases have been dropped or dismissed.

On July 19, DCI officers raided his home and office without proper warrants, confiscating phones, laptops, hard drives and business documents. The items were later returned, but Mwangi claims the devices were cloned and infected with spyware.

“The DCI has our family photos from the past five years. Our family’s private moments are in the custody of a rogue police force,” he said.

The activist detailed a pattern of intimidation including an attempted abduction outside City Mortuary on June 21, 2024, and a violent arrest at his Kilimani office in April that left him hospitalised.

He is now facing charges of assaulting the officers he alleges beat him.

Several of Mwangi’s colleagues have also been arrested on what he terms false charges.

Two associates, Markdenver Karubiu and Brian Adagala, were arrested in May over the BBC documentary ‘Blood Parliament’ and remain uncharged after four months.

Former Harambee Stars captain Robert Otiti and Olympian Suleiman Bilali were arrested before the June 25 anniversary of last year’s protests.

Mwangi linked the harassment to his role in the 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations, which saw at least 65 protesters killed between June 25 and July 11, according to his account.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission recorded 159 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in 2024.

“The targeted harassment, character assassination, and accusations of terrorism are part of a broader plan by the regime to discredit me before they murder me,” Mwangi claimed.

He alleged the National Intelligence Service is coordinating smear campaigns and that his communications are monitored.

The government, he said, plans to challenge his presidential eligibility and target his businesses through tax allegations and deregistration.

“If anything happens to me, look no further than the State,” Mwangi warned, citing cases of Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu and Uganda’s Kizza Besigye as parallels.

Despite the threats, the activist vowed to continue mobilising for what he calls a “Ballot Revolution” ahead of the next election.

“They have billions and bullets, but we have truth, people-power, and God,” he said.

Attempts to reach police spokesman for comment were unsuccessful by the time of going to press.