NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)—He was a photojournalist who covered the horrors of Kenya’s election violence 10 years ago that left more than 1,000 people dead.
Appalled by government corruption that he felt weakened the state, Bonifice Mwangi decided to put down his camera and become a political activist. Now the 34-year-old is reinventing himself again, campaigning for a seat in Kenya’s parliament ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
Mwangi held one of his most spectacular protests in 2013, throwing pigs’ blood and releasing pigs in front of parliament in response to a bill tabled by lawmakers to raise their salaries above those of their counterparts in the U.S., Britain and Japan. The bill was successful amid outcry that Kenya remains a developing country.
He also placed more than 100 coffins representing lawmakers in front of parliament and set them on fire as a sign of his contempt. He faced criticism that he was a puppet of the West because he received money from overseas donors.
Now he wants to represent one of Nairobi’s impoverished neighborhoods, insisting he would continue to be an activist in parliament.
“I am a father. My kids are in debt. Most people have no jobs, not because there is no money in this country but because the money that is supposed to create employment is being stolen,” said Mwangi, who has more than 715,000 followers on Twitter.
Corruption is one of the issues feeding concerns that Tuesday’s elections could again lead to violence. The presidential race between President Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya’s first president, and opposition leader Raila Odinga, son of the country’s first vice president, has narrowed. An election official who oversaw the electronic voting system was found tortured and killed earlier this week.
About Post Author
