The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has strongly condemned the abduction and forced disappearance of Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi, allegedly carried out by Tanzanian authorities in Dar es Salaam, and is demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
In a strongly worded statement issued today, KHRC accused both the Tanzanian and Kenyan regimes of colluding to suppress political dissent through cross-border crackdowns and enforced disappearances. Mwagodi, who worked in Tanzania’s hotel sector, was reportedly abducted on Wednesday, with his current whereabouts unknown and both governments remaining silent on the matter.
According to his family, Mwagodi had been under state surveillance in Kenya after leading a protest against President William Ruto’s regime in Laikipia on June 23, 2024. Following the demonstration, officers from Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations allegedly visited his parents, issuing threats in an attempt to silence him through familial pressure.
KHRC decried what it called a growing “oppressive alliance” between Kenya and Tanzania aimed at crushing activism through coordinated and brutal means. “These are the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime that has lost the legitimacy to govern,” the Commission stated.
The organization also recalled Kenya’s recent complicity in the abduction and assault of activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire, who were targeted while monitoring the politically controversial trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
In its statement, KHRC outlined five key demands:
- The immediate and unconditional release of Mwabili Mwagodi.
- Full disclosure of Mwagodi’s location, condition, and access to legal counsel and family.
- An end to Kenya’s involvement in cross-border abductions and disappearances.
- Independent investigations into threats made against Mwagodi’s family.
- Regional and international accountability for Kenya and Tanzania’s human rights violations.
The Commission called on international human rights bodies to take urgent action and hold the two governments accountable for what it described as a coordinated assault on civil liberties and the rule of law in East Africa.
