Kenyan Police Used Israeli Phone-Hacking Tech on Activist, Citizen Lab Alleges

By:John Zurcher |America News World
Date: February 17, 2026

NAIROBI, KENYA — A prominent Kenyan activist and potential presidential candidate had his personal cellphone hacked by government authorities using sophisticated Israeli technology during a controversial arrest last summer, according to a new forensic report released Tuesday.

The report from Citizen Lab, a prestigious research group at the University of Toronto that tracks digital threats against civil society, alleges that Kenyan police used software developed by the Israeli firm Cellebrite to break into the device belonging to Boniface Mwangi.

The finding adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that governments are increasingly using commercial hacking tools not just for criminal investigations, but to target political opponents and suppress dissent.

Mwangi, a pro-democracy activist who has announced plans to run for president in 2027, was arrested last July amid widespread anti-government street protests. He was charged with the unlawful possession of ammunition—charges that Amnesty International dismissed at the time as part of a “broader effort to intimidate lawful dissent.”

When his phones were finally returned to him by Kenyan authorities following his release on bond, Mwangi immediately noticed something was wrong. His personal device, which contained intimate family photos and private conversations with mentors, was no longer password protected. It could be opened without any credentials at all.

“I felt exposed,” Mwangi told the Guardian in an interview following the report’s release. “We know that I get spied on all the time. I know that my phone calls are monitored and my messages are read.”

A Digital Break-In

Citizen Lab researchers stated they have concluded with “high confidence” that the breach occurred while the device was in police custody. The use of Cellebrite’s technology, the report notes, “could have enabled the full extraction of all materials from Mwangi’s device, including messages, private materials, personal files, financial information, passwords, and other sensitive information.”

The findings paint a picture of a government utilizing advanced cyberweapons to neutralize its critics. Cellebrite products are designed to help law enforcement bypass smartphone security to retrieve evidence for criminal investigations. However, Citizen Lab argues that in this instance—and others globally—the technology is being “abused by its government clients.”

This is not the first time Kenya has been linked to such surveillance tactics. Last year, a separate Citizen Lab forensic analysis found that FlexiSPY spyware had been installed on the phones of two Kenyan filmmakers while their devices were in police possession. Those men had been investigated in connection with a BBC documentary that implicated security forces in killings during the 2024 protests.

The Israeli Connection and Global Concerns

Mwangi pointed to the role of foreign technology vendors in facilitating the crackdown.

“By them giving the government the access to spy on me, they’re putting my life in jeopardy,” he said.

In a statement to the Guardian, Cellebrite defended its practices, stating it maintains a “rigorous process for reviewing allegations of technology misuse” and takes “decisive action,” including license termination, when credible evidence is presented. The company said it does not “respond to speculation” and encouraged organizations to share specific concerns directly.

The findings come on the heels of another Citizen Lab report released in January, which alleged that authorities in Jordan appeared to be using Cellebrite to extract information from activists critical of Israel and supportive of Gaza. Cellebrite responded to those claims by stating its technology is used to “access private data only in accordance with legal due process.”

However, the pattern of alleged abuse extends beyond Kenya and Jordan. Researchers have documented or suspected the use of Cellebrite products against civil society members in Myanmar, Botswana, Serbia, and Belarus.

A Warning for Activists

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, emphasized the broader dangers of selling powerful hacking tools to regimes with poor human rights records.

“Your phone holds the keys to your life, and governments shouldn’t be able to help themselves to the contents just because they don’t like what you are saying,” Scott-Railton said. “When Cellebrite sells their technology to a security service with a track record of abuses, journalists, activists, and people speaking their conscience are at risk.”

Mwangi, who has previously described experiencing harassment and torture at the hands of state agents, is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday regarding the ammunition charges. The case has become a flashpoint for international observers monitoring the state of democracy and digital rights in East Africa.

Neither Kenya’s police spokesperson nor the Kenyan embassy in Washington responded to requests for comment regarding the specific allegations in the Citizen Lab report.