Tanzanian opposition activist Twaha Mwaipaya remains unaccounted for three days after he was reportedly abducted in Kamulu, Machakos County, as the National Police Service (NPS) disowned a statement circulating online that claimed it had opened investigations into the case.

Amnesty International Kenya said Mwaipaya was seized at about 2pm on Sunday, October 25, while travelling in a taxi to visit friends in Kamulu, on the eastern outskirts of Nairobi. According to the rights group, those behind the abduction used three vehicles, including a Toyota Land Cruiser hardtop. "Authorities must urgently establish his whereabouts and ensure his safety," Amnesty said, urging anyone with information to come forward.

Police disown statement

On Tuesday, the NPS said a press statement shared widely on social media did not originate from the service. The document claimed police had launched investigations and that Mwaipaya had been traced to the residence of a Tanzanian journalist. The NPS urged the public to rely only on its official channels.

The NPS has not issued its own statement on the reported abduction, and no Kenyan or Tanzanian authority had publicly confirmed any arrest, detention or investigation by Wednesday.

Who is Mwaipaya

Mwaipaya has served as national mobilisation coordinator of BAVICHA, the youth wing of Tanzania's main opposition party CHADEMA. He was jailed in Tanzania in 2022 over his criticism of the government and fled to Kenya last year, according to AFP. He is an outspoken critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan's administration and has campaigned for a new constitution to replace Tanzania's 1977 charter.

CHADEMA deputy chairperson John Heche said the party had tried overnight to get information from Kenyan agencies and appealed to President William Ruto's government to help find him. "We want Twaha to be found alive," Heche wrote on X.

Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi told AFP that the country "is not safe for Kenyans, it's not safe for East Africans", while John Kitoka, CHADEMA's foreign affairs head who is also in exile in Kenya, said he feared for Mwaipaya's life.

A pattern of cross-border abductions

Rights groups have described a worrying trend of activists being seized in Nairobi and its environs. Cases cited include:

  • Four Turkish refugees abducted in Nairobi and returned to Turkey in October 2024
  • Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye seized in Nairobi in November 2024 and charged in Kampala
  • Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai briefly abducted in Nairobi in January 2025
  • Tanzanian rights defender Mshabaha Mshabaha Hamza rescued by Kenyan police in February 2026 after an apparent attempt to take him towards the border

Kenya's government has previously denied facilitating abductions of foreign nationals.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke (file images). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.