Release abducted Tanzanian, Amnesty International tells state

Tanzanian activist Twaha Mwaipaya. [Courtesy]

Amnesty International has demanded the release of Tanzanian activist Twaha Mwaipaya, who was reportedly abducted in Machakos County last weekend.

The organisation called on Kenyan authorities to locate Mwaipaya, guarantee his safety and investigate the circumstances of his disappearance, warning against his possible forcible transfer to Tanzania or any other country where he could face persecution or serious human rights violations.

“Kenya must be a place of safety, not a hunting ground for those fleeing persecution,” the organisation said in a statement on Wednesday, warning that Kenya risks becoming a hunting ground for people fleeing political persecution in the region.

Mwaipaya was reportedly abducted on October 25, 2026, while travelling in a taxi in Kamulu, Machakos County, to visit friends. Individuals travelling in three vehicles, including a Toyota Land Cruiser hardtop, allegedly intercepted the taxi and took him away.

His whereabouts and safety remained unknown, raising concerns about the protection of foreign nationals, particularly political dissidents and human rights defenders seeking refuge in Kenya.

Amnesty said the incident was particularly alarming because it came against the backdrop of repeated reports of abductions and attempted abductions of foreign nationals on Kenyan soil.

“These incidents point to a disturbing pattern of transnational repression, in which governments or their suspected agents seek to silence critics beyond their own borders,” the statement said.

“Kenya must not allow its territory to become a place where people fleeing persecution are hunted down, forcibly disappeared or returned to countries where they risk torture, arbitrary detention or other serious human rights violations.”

The case has revived memories of previous abductions involving foreign opposition figures and activists in Kenya, some of which have had devastating consequences.

In November 2024, Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye was abducted in Nairobi before resurfacing four days later in Kampala, where he was arraigned before a military court alongside his associate, Haji Obeid Lutale.

Amnesty International condemned Besigye’s abduction and the absence of a lawful extradition process, calling for his immediate release.

“His subsequent detention in Uganda underscores the grave consequences of removing people from Kenya outside established legal procedures and the protections those procedures are intended to guarantee,” the statement said.

The organisation also cited the cases of South Sudanese human rights lawyer and activist Dong Samuel Luak and opposition figure Aggrey Ezbon Idri, who were abducted in Nairobi in January 2017 and subsequently killed in South Sudan, according to investigations by human rights organisations.

“Their cases are a stark reminder that an abduction is not simply a disappearance from public view; it can be the beginning of a chain of violations that ends in death, with families left without answers and perpetrators beyond the reach of justice,” the statement said.

Another case involves Ethiopian national Samson Gebreigzi Teklemichael, whose whereabouts have remained unknown since his reported abduction at the Kileleshwa roundabout in Nairobi on November 19, 2021.

The organisation also raised concerns over the reported abduction of South Sudanese national Athorbey Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit, also known as Gadafi Athorbey Guet, in Nairobi in June this year.

He was reportedly taken to South Sudan, where he was detained for nearly two months before being released in August and returning to Kenya in deteriorating health, according to his family.

The statement further cited cases involving Tanzanian activists Maria Sarungi Tsehai and Mshabaha Mshanaha Hamza, who were reportedly targeted in attempted abductions in Kenya but were rescued.

Amnesty said the government’s repeated disassociation from reported abductions on Kenyan soil was insufficient without effective investigations and accountability.

“Such denials, however, cannot substitute for the duty to protect people, investigate credible allegations and ensure accountability,” the statement said.

It added that the state’s responsibility extended beyond determining whether its officials directly participated in an abduction.

“It must also take reasonable and effective steps to prevent foreseeable threats to life and security, investigate violations, establish the whereabouts of missing people, and protect those at risk.”

The organisation cited Articles 28 and 29 of the Constitution, which guarantee human dignity and the right to freedom and security of the person. It also pointed to Article 20(1), which provides that the Bill of Rights applies to all law and binds all state organs and persons.

Kenya’s international obligations, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and refugee protection conventions, also require safeguards against arbitrary detention, torture and unlawful returns.

Section 29 of the Refugees Act, 2021, prohibits the removal of refugees and asylum seekers to countries where they face persecution or specified threats to their lives, physical integrity or liberty, subject to the Act’s stated exception.

“The substance and consequences of the action matter, as do the legal protections owed to the individual,” the statement said, warning that diplomatic cooperation, deportation or informal handovers must not be used to bypass legal safeguards.

Amnesty urged authorities to investigate Mwaipaya’s disappearance promptly, independently, impartially and transparently, examine witness accounts and available surveillance footage, and establish whether public officials were involved or facilitated the incident.

It further called for anyone reasonably suspected of responsibility to be held accountable through lawful proceedings.

“The government must therefore take immediate, concrete steps to establish Twaha Mwaipaya’s whereabouts and guarantee his safety,” the statement said.

The organisation also called for stronger measures to prevent cross-border abductions, enforced disappearances and unlawful renditions, and to protect refugees, asylum seekers, political dissidents and human rights defenders who may be targeted by foreign authorities.

“The cost of failing to act is measured in lives lost, families denied answers, people unlawfully detained and a growing climate of fear among those who should be able to find safety in Kenya,” the statement said.

“Kenya has long been a place of refuge for people escaping conflict, persecution and repression in the region. That role must be protected through action, not merely affirmed in words.”