The abduction of Tanzanian journalist and human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai illustrates how Kenya has become a hostile environment for dissidents in exile.
This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 14 January 2025.
CPJ calls on the Kenyan government to conduct a comprehensive investigation after four unknown men assaulted and abducted prominent Tanzanian journalist and human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai for about four hours on Sunday in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
“With attacks on dissidents living in exile in Nairobi and a wave of abductions targeting critics of the government, Kenya has become incredibly hostile for anyone with a dissenting opinion,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “Authorities in Kenya must shake off this shameful reputation, including by ensuring that those responsible for Maria Sarungi Tsehai’s abduction are held accountable.”
Sarungi Tsehai publishes critical commentary on Tanzanian politics through her X account and frequently uses the platform and the YouTube channel Mwanzo TV Plus to stream live debates. Sarungi Tsehai said during an Amnesty International press conference on Sunday that her assailants pulled her from a taxi outside a Nairobi salon and forced her into a van around 3 p.m. The men, who claimed to be policemen, blindfolded, choked, and restrained her with handcuffs and by sitting on her feet. They confiscated her two phones and demanded pass codes to allow them access, which she refused to provide. They kept the phones when they released her in the city’s outskirts.
Sarungi Tsehai, who left Tanzania for Kenya four years ago following threats of arrest and the banning of her media outlet, believes “there was Tanzanian involvement” in her abduction and feared her assailants planned to force her back to Tanzania because of her critical social media posts.
CPJ’s texts and messages to Kenya government and police spokespeople went unanswered. Tanzania government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa told CPJ by phone that it was up to the Kenyan authorities to investigate the reported incident and that Tanzania would respond via diplomatic channels if it heard from the government in Nairobi.
Since William Ruto became president of Kenya in 2022, human rights organizations have documented several cases in which refugees and foreign critics have been abducted in Kenya and forcefully returned to their home countries, while Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif, was killed by Kenyan police in October 2022. In recent months, a wave of abductions have also targeted Kenyans who have participated in protests or published critical art and commentary against the government on social media platforms.
In Tanzania, CPJ has documented attacks against media covering opposition politicians and human rights defenders have warned about broader repression ahead of elections later this year.
