Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi was under surveillance before his abduction in Tanzania on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. He had been living and working in Dar es Salaam in the hotel industry when he was kidnapped.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) says Mwabili was already being watched by Kenyan authorities before he left the country.
The surveillance began in 2024, when Mwabili Mwagodi led Kenyans in effectively protesting President William Ruto’s donations to churches. He helped organize symbolic greetings opposing political donations.
The protest contributed to the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi returning a KSh 2.6 million donation from President Ruto.
Mwabili also mobilized Kenyans to deplatform politicians and preventing them from speaking in church services.
After the protest, DCI officers reportedly visited Mwabili’s parents and issued threats. KHRC believes this was an attempt to silence him by intimidating his family.
Mwabili Mwagodi Abduction Experience
On July 23, 2025, Mwabili was abducted in Dar es Salaam. He says he was tortured: beaten, harassed, and injected with an unknown substance.
He was held for four days, during which he was not allowed to contact anyone.
His three phones, laptop, belt, passport, yellow fever card, and Tanzanian work permit were taken from him.
After four days, three Kenyan police officers were involved in an exchange with Tanzanian officials at the Lunga Lunga border. Instead of helping him, the Kenyan officers dumped him in a bush in Kinondo, near Diani in Kwale County, at around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 27.
Mwabili managed to walk three kilometers to Diani, where he called his family for help. He then went to Diani Police Station to report the incident, but police tried to arrest him again. Human rights activists who accompanied him intervened and stopped the arrest.
Mwabili was rushed to Pandya Memorial Hospital in Mombasa, where he is currently receiving medical treatment. He is expected to travel to Nairobi to reunite with his family.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mwabili said,
“I was abducted, harassed, and tortured mentally for four days. Do you want to abduct me again?”
KHRC says Mwabili’s case is not isolated. They believe it is part of a deliberate plan by Kenyan and Tanzanian authorities to silence activists and government critics. Such as in the cases of Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire, who were abducted and tortured in Tanzania.
Mwabili’s abduction and treatment have sparked public outrage in Kenya and beyond. Many are now calling for justice and better protection for human rights defenders.
By Vivian K.