NAIROBI (Reuters) -Kenyan human rights activist Boniface Mwangi, who has played a prominent role in anti-government protests, said on Wednesday he plans to run for the presidency in the country’s 2027 election.
His candidacy will test whether the popular support for protests, led by young Kenyans over the last two years, can be translated into an electoral movement.
Mwangi previously ran unsuccessfully for parliament in 2017 on an anti-corruption platform. He has over the course of years earned a reputation for speaking out against human rights violations in Kenya and abroad.
“Our leadership has failed us in numerous ways. You pay taxes expecting service, or you’re supposed to pay bribes to get that same service,” he said during an event to announce his presidential bid.
“So as we stand here, our country must be taken back into our hands.”
He was expelled from neighbouring Tanzania in May after travelling there to observe a hearing in a treason case against opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
In July, a Kenyan court charged Mwangi with possession of teargas canisters and a single rifle round found in his home.
He pleaded not guilty, saying the authorities had no evidence and called the prosecution “a big shame”.
Elections in Kenya are due in August 2027. Mwangi’s candidacy will have to be cleared by the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission that qualifies all candidates.
Others who have announced presidential bids include Senator Okiya Omtatah and former Chief Justice David Maraga. Incumbent President William Ruto also intends to seek re-election.
A coalition of opposition leaders, led by two former deputy presidents and other former government officials, also intends to field a presidential candidate.
(Reporting by George Obulutsa and Vincent Mumo; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Barbara Lewis)
