Boniface Mwangi is one of the most vocal and courageous Kenyans of our generation.
Recognized globally for his passion and excellence in photography, this photographer-cum-activist could not resist the call to activism after witnessing first-hand the brutality that disadvantaged Kenyans experienced in the wake of the Post- Election Violence in 2008. He then established Picha Mtaani a traveling photography exhibition telling of the violenceThe travelling photo exhibition toured across Kenya and drew more than 2 million people. The tour of the exhibition offered a platform for individual reflection, honest dialogue, interpersonal healing and community reconciliation.
In 2012 Boniface founded PAWA254, a hub for creatives in Kenya where journalists, artists and activists find innovative ways of achieving social change.
At 34, he has been a guest of the state on many occasions for championing justice and calling out powerful leaders for their wanton corruption and blatant violation of human rights. This has earned him friends and foes alike. His commitment to promote social change has also come at a heavy price. As a husband and father, his wife and children have endured hostilities from different quarters. The escalation of these hostilities has seen him being threatened with harm and/or death by powerful forces in government.
Like many Kenyans with a challenging upbringing where basic needs were not always met, Boniface Mwangi is all too familiar with the struggles of the ordinary Kenyan. He has worked as a bus-park sweeper, house-boy and hawker. He even served time in Approved School.
Despite monumental odds, he has risen, discovering photography at a young age and applying his entrepreneurial brilliance to break free from the clutches of poverty. Those who have worked with Boniface Mwangi can attest to his diligence, compassion and self-drive.
He has twice won the CNN Multichoice Africa Photojournalist of the Year Award and is the youngest Prince Claus Laureate. New African Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2014 and 2016 and he is also a senior TED Fellow. Time magazine recognized him as a Next Generation Leader in 2015 and was selected as Kenya’s Top 40 under 40 men 2016.
Boniface Mwangi continues to wage a spirited campaign against oppressive establishments. Although at one point he stood alone, today his movement has gained traction with many – inspired by his vision and consistency – adding their voices to champion for a better Kenya.
After years of agitating from the sidelines, Boniface Mwangi is now seeking the people’s mandate to allow him to fight from enable him take the struggle to the inside. He has announced his bid to vie for MP in Starehe Constituency – one whose cracks and corners he is all too familiar with, having called it home for a good part of his youth. With a track record you can count on, he vows to continue speaking courage fluently because the people of Kenya deserve better.
Boniface and his wife Njeri Mwangi are the loving parents of 3 adorable children.
He is the author of Unbounded - a poignant and riveting memoir that captures his incredible journey.
Scheaffer Okore is an International Relations and Diplomacy graduate from the University of Nairobi. She is the current Program Officer for Civic Engagement at Siasa Place a registered non-profit that’s focused on mainstreaming youth and women into all matters of politics. Our main aim is to humanize politics and entrench rigorous participation of youth and women in political spaces.
She is also leads a writing program known as The Writer’s Podium that’s dedicated in teaching upcoming creative writers how to craft and mould the art of writing. This program has been in collaboration with students from various institutions of higher learning. Miss Okore is an ardent writer with the an uncensored articulation.
Scheaffer Okore is a democratic literacy mentor and champion who pushes for emancipation in every way. She’s an amplifier of voices, staunch activist, social justice advocate, feminist, human rights defender, cancer and GBV soldier. She believes in the impact of collective responsibility in social, economic and political issues.
She has previously worked as a consultant for Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung as a facilitator and judge for inter-university debates on Kenya’s political issues in Moi University, Christian Aid Organisation she was in charge of alternative media messaging, strategy development and execution and PSI Organisation she was the assistant program coordinator under the research and metrics department.
Nduko o’Matigere has been a contributor to citizen driven struggles for social justice and governance reforms in Kenya for more than two decades. He is a father, educator, activist and independent worker with non-profits. He specialises in program development and management; strategic citizen engagement and advocacy, capacity development for activists and their organizations, partnerships, impact assessment and research.
In his practice, he gives special focus on finding and experimenting with creative ideas and ways to inspire millions of ordinary people to take charge of their lives through imaginative exercise of voice and applying their numbers and power to massively cause shifts in social, economic and political power arrangements to their benefit, and in ways that secure their self-worth, dignity and quality of life.
In the past, Nduko has worked with the Citizens Coalition for Constitutional Change (4Cs), Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), Oxfam Novib and Twaweza East Africa. He has consulted for local and international organizations with programs in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Liberia, the Gambia, Senegal, Ethiopia and India. Nduko holds a B.Ed. (Arts) degree from the University of Nairobi in Literature and Linguistics and is pursuing a M.Sc. in Leadership and Governance at JKUAT in Nairobi.