Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi on Sunday, Mwangi said he fears for his safety after discovering a used ammunition cartridge in his carry-on bag shortly after arriving in Malindi on October 9, 2025. 

He believes the bullet was planted while his bag was briefly out of his sight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

“This blank cartridge must have been slipped into my bag amidst the very brief moments it wasn’t in my possession,” Mwangi said. “This is a direct threat to my life.” 

He said he did not report the incident to police, fearing it could be used to implicate him, as he is already facing what he described as trumped-up charges of illegal ammunition possession. 

Instead, he says he informed his lawyers and a human rights organization.

Mwangi alleged that the incident was part of a wider pattern of state persecution that began in June 2024, including five arrests, an attempted abduction, and raids on his home and offices. 

He further alleged that his communications are monitored, his social media accounts suppressed, and his digital devices cloned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

“The government is using both legal and illegal means to frustrate me,” Mwangi said. “They have weaponized cybercrime laws and initiated false charges, even planning to deregister my businesses.”

Mwangi, a longtime government critic, compared the current threats to those he faced under former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime, saying he has endured arrests, beatings, and constant surveillance.

“Death threats are not new to me,” he said. “But the intensity now is unprecedented. I genuinely believe my life is in danger.”

He warned that if anything happens to him, the government should be held responsible.

“If anything happens to me, look no further than State House,” Mwangi added. Citizen Digital