Kenyan human rights activist, Mwabili Mwagodi, who vanished last week in Tanzania, has been found alive, resurfacing in Diani, Kwale County, on Sunday morning. His reappearance has raised concern, with Mwagodi alleging torture and injection with an unknown substance during his four-day ordeal.
Mwagodi, a vocal critic of political interference in religious spaces and a key figure in the #OccupyChurch movement, was reportedly abducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Wednesday, July 23. Human rights organizations, including Vocal Africa and Muhuri, had been mounting pressure on both the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments for his safe return.
Upon his release, Mwagodi was reportedly dumped in a bush in Kinondo, Kwale county, around 3:00 am, from where he walked approximately three kilometers to Diani. He managed to contact his family, who alerted human rights defenders. Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid confirmed Mwagodi’s discovery, stating that officers from Vocal Africa and Muhuri quickly intervened.
Missing Activist Mwabili Mwagodi Found in Kenya After Tanzanian Kidnap
A video captured the emotional moment of Mwagodi, visibly shaken but relieved, reuniting with his rescuers. He was immediately rushed to Pandya Memorial Hospital in Mombasa for urgent medical attention. Mwagodi claimed that three Kenyan police officers were involved in an exchange with Tanzanian authorities at the Lungalunga border before he was dumped. He also reported that his personal belongings, including three phones, a laptop, passport, yellow fever vaccination book, and Tanzanian work permit, were confiscated.
Human rights defender Walid Sketty and Muhuri Rapid Response Officer Francis Auma alleged that Mwagodi was tortured after being handed over from Tanzania, including being blindfolded and pricked with objects suspected to be needles. Auma described Mwagodi as visibly traumatized and mentally unstable, stating, “He claims that they beat him and injected him with something we don’t know.”
The incident has drawn strong condemnation from human rights groups. Amnesty International Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) have called for an independent investigation by the East African Court of Justice, accusing both the Kenyan and Tanzanian authorities of cross-border collusion and a gross violation of human rights. They highlighted the silence of both governments during Mwagodi’s disappearance as deeply troubling and indicative of a lack of commitment to justice.
Concerns have also been raised about the conduct of Kenyan police at the Diani station, where Mwagodi voluntarily presented himself. According to Hussein Khalid and Walid Sketty, police attempted to detain him unlawfully, requiring intervention from human rights officers to secure his release, an incident that echoes previous cases of activists like Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire, who were also allegedly abducted and deported from Tanzania, prompting calls for accountability and protection for human rights defenders across the region.
Mwagodi is expected to be flown to Nairobi to reunite with his family after receiving medical care.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter.
