Prominent Kenyan activist and 2027 presidential aspirant Boniface Mwangi has expressed serious fears for his personal safety and that of his inner circle after researchers discovered Israeli-made surveillance spyware installed on his phone during a police raid last year.
In a statement to AFP on Wednesday, Mwangi said he feels “violated” and believes he could become a target for elimination, citing a pattern of killings, disappearances, and abductions of government critics since the massive anti-government protests in 2024.
“I feel I could be a target for elimination,” Mwangi said.
“Now the government has an overview of who is in my inner circle, and I fear for their safety too.”
A report published Tuesday by Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab revealed that Cellebrite’s UFED (Universal Forensic Extraction Device) tool—widely used by law enforcement to unlock smartphones and extract data—was covertly installed on Mwangi’s phone without his knowledge or consent.
The spyware gave Kenyan police access to “messages, private files, personal documents, financial information, passwords, and other sensitive data.”
Mwangi was arrested in July 2025 when police raided his home and office, seizing his phones and computer hard drives. Authorities accused him of “facilitation of terrorist acts,” charges he continues to face.
The activist, a former photojournalist known for leading protests against President William Ruto’s administration and highlighting extrajudicial killings, said the level of harassment has intensified since he declared his intention to run for president in 2027.
“The level of targeted harassment and violations has increased since I announced I’m running for president,” he told AFP.
He also voiced concern that members of his presidential campaign team may be under similar surveillance.
Amnesty International has previously raised alarms about Cellebrite tools being misused to target journalists, activists, and dissidents globally.
Last year, Citizen Lab uncovered similar spyware infections on the devices of four Kenyan filmmakers arrested in connection with a BBC documentary exposing security force killings during the 2024 protests.
Mwangi said he plans to present the Citizen Lab findings in court to challenge the ongoing criminal charges against him.
“We will ask the court to order the government not to leak the contents of my phone online especially my family pictures,” he said.
AFP has reached out to the Kenya police for comment on the allegations.
The revelations come amid ongoing scrutiny of state surveillance practices in Kenya following the 2024 protests, which saw dozens of critics abducted or killed, with government investigations yielding no public findings to date.
