“You’re not our leader ” Boniface Mwangi Narrates Being Assaulted by Protesters

Boniface Mwangi, a prominent Kenyan activist and photojournalist, was assaulted by protesters during the Kenyan “Rejecting Finance Bill 2024” demonstrations in Nairobi on Tuesday, June 26, 2024.

Mwangi, who was present at the protests, recounted the incident on his Twitter account, stating that he was punched in the face for requesting people to disperse after 4 pm.

The protests were led by young Kenyans, primarily from Generation Z, who were voicing their frustrations over high taxes and the country’s economic challenges.

According to Mwangi, the protesters told him, “You’re not our leader,” as they chased him away. He tried to seek refuge at the I&M building but even then they were willing to break into it to get him.

He also mentioned that the buildings around where he had been attacked during the protests had CCTV coverage, suggesting that the perpetrators could be identified.

Journalist Mark Masai, who was present at the scene, corroborated Mwangi’s account, stating that he bumped into Mwangi as he was being assaulted for requesting protesters to disperse.

Mark Masai wrote “

Some minutes to 4pm during #RejectingFinanceBill2024 peaceful protests on Tue, I bumped into @bonifacemwangi as he was urging people to go home because he had credible info some goons had infiltrated & innocent people would be harmed – soon after he was assaulted for doing so”

This is not the first time Mwangi has been assaulted during protests. In a tweet from June 7, 2024, he stated, “I have been assaulted enough times by protesters and police during protests in Kenya.”

There is a growing concern among the youth that some goons, who are allegedly paid by top politicians, are trying to turn the otherwise peaceful protests into mayhem.

One politician accused of this is Mike Sonko, who, one Wednesday, tried to pay goons to vandalize a popular businessman Khalif Kairo’s car yard. The majority of the youth exercising their constitutional right are doing so with the fear of either being branded as criminals by the authorities or being targeted by the goons.