Mwangi’s wife, Njeri Mwangi, confirmed his arrest, saying police officers seized his electronic devices and linked him to alleged acts of “terrorism and arson.”
Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi was Saturday arrested from his house in Machakos.
“They say they are investigating him over claims of terrorism and arson. We don’t know more about these claims, but we will know,” she said.
Fellow activist Hussein Khalid, who also confirmed the arrest, said he and a group of lawyers were pursuing the matter.
Mwangi has been in a low profile since he was tortured and deported from Tanzania.
The arrest comes a day after he and Agather Atuhaire, a Ugandan lawyer and journalist, filed a petition at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) against the governments of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and the Secretary General of the East African Community.
The suit, lodged on July 18 in Arusha, Tanzania, seeks to hold not only Tanzania but also the governments of Kenya and Uganda, alongside the East African Community (EAC) secretary general, Veronica Nduva, accountable for what the applicants term gross violations of human rights.
The legal action stems from disturbing events that occurred between May 19 and May 23, when Mwangi and Atuhaire were forcibly abducted from their hotel in Dar es Salaam by unidentified operatives.
According to the petition, they were initially detained at the Immigration Department and the Central police station before being whisked to unknown locations.
The pair allege they were subjected to brutal torture, including sexual violence, before being dumped at their respective country borders without explanation.
"These violations cannot be ignored. We are demanding accountability and justice at the highest regional level," the applicants said.
Mwangi and Atuhaire maintain they had entered Tanzania lawfully to observe the high-profile treason trial of opposition figure Tundu Lissu, yet were never informed of any legal grounds for their arrest, detention, or subsequent deportation.
