Human rights organisations have called on Kenyan authorities to urgently establish the whereabouts of Tanzanian opposition activist Twaha Mwaipaya, who was reportedly abducted by unidentified people in Kamulu, on the Nairobi–Machakos border, on Sunday, 25 October 2026.

According to Amnesty International, Mwaipaya was seized at about 2pm while travelling in a taxi to visit friends in Kamulu, Machakos County. The people who took him were travelling in three vehicles, one of them a Toyota Land Cruiser hardtop, the rights group said.

By Monday, the identities of those involved and Mwaipaya's location had not been established. Kenyan police and government officials had not publicly commented on the incident at the time of publication.

Who is Twaha Mwaipaya?

Mwaipaya is a Tanzanian human rights defender and political commentator who has served since 2019 as national mobilisation coordinator for BAVICHA, the youth wing of Tanzania's main opposition party, CHADEMA.

He has campaigned for the replacement of Tanzania's 1977 constitution, which he argues concentrates too much power in the presidency, and has spoken out against police brutality, corruption and alleged rights abuses. He has also been a vocal critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan's administration.

Rights groups sound the alarm

Amnesty International Kenya said the priority was to find him and guarantee his safety.

"Authorities must urgently establish his whereabouts and ensure his safety," Amnesty International Kenya said, as reported by The Eastleigh Voice.

The organisation also asked members of the public with information that could help trace him to come forward. The Defenders Coalition, a network supporting human rights defenders in Kenya, separately called for swift action to locate Mwaipaya and protect him from harm.

Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai, a prominent critic of the Tanzanian government, said Mwaipaya had fled to Kenya after being abducted and tortured by police in Tanzania. Those claims have not been independently verified. She urged Kenyans near the border, particularly at Namanga, to watch out for Toyota hardtop vehicles, and warned of the danger he could face if taken across.

"If Twaha is crossed to Tanzania, they will kill him!" Sarungi wrote, according to The Eastleigh Voice.

Opposition movement weighs in

On Monday, the opposition-allied Linda Mwananchi movement issued a statement demanding urgent disclosure of Mwaipaya's whereabouts, an independent investigation into the incident and accountability for those involved. Capital FM reported that the movement also asked the government to prevent his forced removal from the country and said Kenya should remain "a beacon of freedom."

The movement accused President William Ruto's administration of allowing Kenya to become "a hunting ground for those who wish to silence dissent," according to The Eastleigh Voice.

A troubling pattern

The case adds to a string of incidents in which regional opposition figures and activists have been seized on Kenyan soil. Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye was abducted in Nairobi in November 2024 and later appeared before a military court in Kampala. Sarungi herself was briefly abducted in Nairobi's Kilimani area in January 2025 before being released hours later.

Rights groups have repeatedly warned that such cases point to cross-border cooperation between security agencies in East Africa to target critics, an accusation the governments involved have generally denied. Kenya is a signatory to international conventions that bar returning anyone to a country where they face a real risk of torture.

Whether Mwaipaya is being held in Kenya, has been moved across a border, or is in the custody of any state agency remains unclear.

Photos: Capital FM; The Eastleigh Voice (Twaha Mwaipaya).