Human rights organisations are demanding the swift release of Mwabili Mwagodi, a Kenyan activist allegedly abducted in Tanzania on Wednesday, amid growing accusations of cross-border collusion between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam to suppress dissent.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Vocal Africa, and Amnesty International issued a joint statement on Saturday urging Tanzanian authorities to disclose Mwagodi’s whereabouts and release him immediately.
The activist, who has been working at a café in Dar es Salaam, is reported missing, with neither Tanzanian nor Kenyan officials providing clarity on his location.
“His family confirms that Mwagodi was being monitored by Kenyan security officers after exercising his right to protest,” KHRC said. “He had recently led demonstrations against President William Ruto’s administration during a church service in Nyahururu, Laikipia County.”
KHRC accused both governments of “deliberate and coordinated use of oppressive force to silence activists,” warning that such actions signal “authoritarian regimes in Kenya and Tanzania have forfeited their legitimacy to govern.”
The group also referenced a recent case, noting, “We have not forgotten that just two months ago, Kenya collaborated in the abduction and torture of activist Boniface Mwangi by Tanzanian security officials.”
The rights groups are calling for several urgent measures, including Mwagodi’s immediate release, full disclosure of his whereabouts, and unhindered access to him by his family and legal representatives.
They also demand a thorough investigation into threats made against his relatives by Kenyan security agents.
Amnesty International echoed these calls, denouncing Mwagodi’s disappearance as a blatant human rights violation. Its director, Houghton Irungu, said: “Activism is not a crime.
But Mwabili Mwagodi’s disappearance is — it is a grave breach of human rights and must be addressed urgently and transparently.”
The incident has intensified scrutiny of cross-border security practices in East Africa, with activists warning that such enforced disappearances risk becoming a dangerous precedent for stifling political dissent.
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