The recent abduction of Maria Sarungi-Tsehai, a prominent Tanzanian activist and staunch critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has sparked widespread outrage and raised serious concerns about the safety of dissenting voices in Kenya.
Sarungi-Tsehai was reportedly kidnapped by three unidentified gunmen near Yaya Centre in Nairobi, where she had been residing in exile since the lead-up to Tanzania’s controversial 2020 general elections.
Tundu Lissu, a leading Tanzanian opposition figure in exile, issued a heartfelt statement expressing alarm over his friend’s abduction.
He noted, “We hope and pray for Maria’s life and safety, and we must call upon the Kenyan government and all people of goodwill from around the world to intervene in whatever capacity they can to help secure Maria’s safe return to her family.”
Human rights organization Amnesty International has also condemned the abduction. In an official statement shared via social media, the group confirmed that Sarungi-Tsehai was taken by armed men in a black Noah vehicle, with the incident occurring around 3:15 PM in the Kilimani area of Nairobi. Irungu Houghton, the organization’s Executive Director, stated that their team is currently on the ground gathering more information about the alarming event.
The implications of this incident are profound, not just for Sarungi-Tsehai but for the broader landscape of political dissent in East Africa. Last month, Kizza Besigye, a vocal opposition figure in Uganda was kidnapped in a joint operation between Kenyan and Ugandan security operatives. This was hours before his attendance to a book launch organized by NARC Kenya Party leader Martha Karua.
Similarly, Kenya came underfire in 2024 after the abduction and forced refoulment of four Turkish citizens who were seeking assylum in Kenya. Kenya’s foreign ministry said it had agreed to Turkey’s request to repatriate the four men because of the country’s “robust historical and strategic relations” with Turkey, and that it had been assured the refugees would be “treated with dignity”.
The abductions raise critical questions about the safety of exiled activists in Kenya and the extent to which oppressive regimes may seek to extend their reach beyond their borders.
