NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 10 — Activist and presidential hopeful Boniface Mwangi has proposed public hangings for corrupt officials if elected president.
Speaking during an interview on Capital in the Morning on Tuesday, Mwangi outlined a judicial system in which officials convicted of embezzling public funds would face execution in a public forum at Uhuru Park, after exhausting all legal appeals.
“I am very prepared,” Mwangi said. “People who have stolen public money, they will be hanged in public. As long as they are alive, they will continue to cause problems. Once prosecuted and found guilty, that is the end of them.”
Kenya has not carried out an execution since 1987, when Hezekiah Ochuka and Pancras Oteyo Okumu, leaders of a failed 1982 coup attempt, were hanged for treason.
Mwangi cited persistent failures by previous and current administrations to hold corrupt officials accountable and criticized unfulfilled promises for a State Capture Commission by the President William Ruto administration.
“When Ruto was sworn in, they said they would establish a state capture commission, which never happened because they realized they themselves had captured the state,” he said.
He framed public executions as a deterrent against large-scale theft and mismanagement of public resources.
‘Oligarchy’
In the same interview, Mwangi also criticized President Ruto, accusing him of turning Kenya into his “private property” through alleged business interests in Bamburi Cement and Devki Group.
He further called out the Affordable Housing Programme, alleging that public land is being exploited for private profit.
“The housing program is built on public land, yet the benefits go to a few individuals, not the National Treasury,” he claimed.
Mwangi also denounced punitive government policies such as traffic fines and taxes, arguing they disproportionately affect ordinary citizens without addressing systemic problems.
Emphasizing the importance of youth participation in elections, Mwangi urged young Kenyans to translate online activism into real-world voter engagement:
“We need to stop organizing only online and take action through the vote,” he said. “There are over 18 million potential voters who didn’t participate last time. They can decide the next president.”
Beyond anti-corruption measures, Mwangi outlined plans for free education, healthcare, and water access, alongside infrastructure and governance reforms.
He stressed that accountability must start at the top, advocating for audits, elimination of ghost workers, and stricter oversight of public spending.
“I want to bring back dignity to every Kenyan,” he said.
“I do not want to be a master but a servant of the people. Love for this country and the courage to believe it can change will define my presidency.”
