Tanzanian Opposition Figure Twaha Mwaipaya Reportedly Abducted in Machakos

Fear is growing for the safety of Twaha Mwaipaya, a Tanzanian opposition figure who was reportedly seized in Kenya on Sunday afternoon.

Amnesty International Kenya and the Defenders Coalition say Mwaipaya was taken at about 2 p.m. in Kamulu, Machakos County, on the eastern edge of Nairobi.

He was reportedly in a taxi on his way to visit friends when men travelling in three vehicles, one of them a Toyota Land Cruiser hardtop, intercepted him.

Mwaipaya is a prominent youth organiser with Chadema and has close to 600,000 followers on Instagram. He fled to Kenya last year after facing jail in 2022 for criticising the Tanzanian government.

Fellow activist Maria Sarungi says he came to Kenya after being abducted and severely tortured by police back home.

“Authorities must urgently establish his whereabouts and ensure his safety,” Amnesty International Kenya said. The group warned that the incident could point to cross-border repression, in which critics of a government are targeted even after they leave the country. The Defenders Coalition also called for swift action to find him.

Sarungi, a vocal critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, voiced the gravest fears. She warned that Mwaipaya could be killed if he is taken across the border into Tanzania, and she urged vigilance at crossing points under the hashtag #FreeTwahaMwaipaya.

Her warning carries weight. She herself was abducted by armed men in Nairobi’s Kilimani area in January 2025 and later released.

As of Sunday evening, nobody had confirmed who the abductors were or where Mwaipaya was being held. No official statement from Kenyan authorities had been reported.

Rights groups are asking anyone with information to come forward immediately. For his supporters, the hours that follow may decide whether he is found safe in Kenya or taken out of reach.

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