At the time of his abduction in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the family of Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi —popularly known as TL Elder on X—had been receiving threats over his outspoken criticism of the Kenyan government.
Until his disappearance on July 23, Mwagodi , who has over 76,000 followers on X, was working at Amani Beach Hotel in Kigamboni. He was found on Sunday, having been dumped by unidentified men in Lunga Lunga, 419 kilometres from his workplace.
Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi.
Photo credit: Pool
According to his family, there was no doubt that Mwagodi was a marked man. His troubles began during the height of last year’s Gen Z-led anti-Finance Bill protests, which culminated in the storming of Parliament on June 24, 2024.
The tipping point came when he led a protest at a church service attended by President William Ruto in Nyahururu, Laikipia County, last year.
His sister, Isabella Kituri, told the Nation that men in plainclothes visited their home and identified themselves as officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). She said that they warned their parents that Mwagodi should “cool off” on the protests and focus on his family.
“In October 2024, my parents received visitors who claimed to be from the DCI. They warned that if my brother did not stop criticising the government, there would be consequences,” she said.
When he was eventually found, Mwagodi said he had been held in a dark room by Tanzanian security officers who interrogated him about his presence in the country and his political affiliations. He also claimed that he had been injected with an unknown substance.
Activist Mwabili Mwagodi at Pandya Hospital in Mombasa. He was reportedly dumped near Diani Sunday morning.
Photo credit: Pool
Mwagodi’s abduction is among several recent cases in East Africa involving activists and opposition figures. The trend has triggered widespread concern and condemnation from international human rights groups.
The Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) has denounced the rise in politically motivated abductions across East Africa, particularly in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
“CLA is alarmed by a pattern of abductions and torture which has increased in several countries in East Africa—predominantly, but not exclusively, in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania,” the organisation said in a statement.
The CLA, an international non-profit that promotes the rule of law across the Commonwealth, noted that most victims are opposition leaders, activists, human rights defenders, protesters and journalists. The group said abductions are being used to suppress dissent and instil fear among citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
“Detention without due process, as was in the case of Mwagodi, amounts to a denial of justice,” CLA said.
According to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Article 5 guarantees the dignity of every individual and prohibits torture, slavery, and inhumane treatment. Article 6 states that no one may be arbitrarily arrested or detained without legal justification.
Despite these legal safeguards, abductions continue to rise in the region, drawing global attention.
Among other recent victims is Tanzanian editor and activist Maria Sarungi, who fled to Kenya after threats from the late Tanzanian President John Magufuli. On January 12, 2025, she was abducted in Kilimani, Nairobi, and released hours later. She claimed she was manhandled, choked, and forced into a car by four unidentified assailants.
Tanzanian journalist Maria Sarungi.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
“I believe the motive was to access my social media accounts and intimidate me because of my whistleblowing work,” she told journalists.
Ugandan human rights activist Agather Atuhaire (left) and Boniface Mwangi address journalists at Mageuzi Hub in Nairobi on June 2, 2025 on the torture they underwent in Tanzania.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
In May 2025, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and his Ugandan counterpart, Agather Atuhaire, were abducted by Tanzanian authorities. In court filings, they stated how they were tortured before being dumped at various border points. Atuhaire said she was ordered to undress and was beaten while handcuffed.
“They tried to put a sweater over my arms, possibly to conceal more severe injuries,” she recounted.
Mr Mwangi said he endured “four dark days,” describing his torture before being left at Horohoro, on the Kenya–Tanzania border, barely able to walk.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan did not directly address the incident. Instead, she warned that outsiders were trying to destabilise her country.
“Because of the strength and stability of our nation, some people from outside want to come and disrupt us. Defending the country is not just my job or that of the security forces—it is everyone’s responsibility,” she said.
Kenya and Uganda have also been implicated in cross-border abductions. In November 2024, opposition leader Kizza Besigye was abducted in Nairobi and handed over to Ugandan authorities. He was later charged at the Makindye General Court Martial in Kampala under heavy military escort. Kenya has denied involvement.
Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’oei stated that Kenya was not part of the operation.
The rise in such cases drew concern from US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, who said the incidents reflect a dangerous erosion of governance and rule of law in the region.
“Rising abductions and torture in East Africa signal more than abuse—they expose state decay and impunity. That’s a direct threat to regional stability, security, and US interests,” Mr Risch said.
Lawyer Ken Nyaundi told the Nation that abductions amount to a gross violation of both international law and the Kenyan Constitution.
“Kenya signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) in 2007. While it hasn’t ratified the convention, signing it shows the country’s intent to be bound by it. Violating its provisions is an abuse of both international law and our Constitution,” he said.
Nyaundi said that enforced disappearances constitute crimes against humanity under international law and fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Those behind these abductions may escape justice for now, but eventually they will be held accountable. There are no timelines for prosecution at the ICC,” he warned.
