NAIROBI – Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has accused Tanzanian state agents of abducting and torturing him and Ugandan human rights advocate Agather Atuhaire, who remains missing days after their alleged detention in Dar es Salaam.
Mwangi detailed the ordeal in a powerful first-person account, describing how the two were blindfolded, stripped, and tortured after being taken from immigration offices and police custody to an undisclosed location.
“Agather is still missing in Tanzania. The last time I was in the same space with her was Tuesday morning. We had been tortured, and were told to crawl and go wash off the blood,” Mwangi said.
According to him, their torture was overseen by a man claiming to work for Tanzanian “state security” who allegedly followed them from immigration offices to Central Police Station. The man, described in detail, reportedly ordered that the two activists receive “Tanzanian treatment.”
“He came in a black suit, with short waved hair, light brown skin, and a sagging potbelly. One lawyer told me he reports directly to President Samia Suluhu,” Mwangi claimed.
Three lawyers from the Tanganyika Law Society were present during the initial stages of their detention, but reportedly left the station after being intimidated by the unnamed agent. Mwangi said they were then blindfolded, handcuffed, and separated.
“Any attempt to speak to each other during the night we were tortured was met with kicks and insults. We were removed in different vehicles,” he added.
REGIONAL AND GLOBAL OUTCRY BUILDS
The revelation has provoked swift condemnation from regional human rights groups and international observers.
“If this is true, it’s not just a legal crisis — it’s a humanitarian emergency,” said Nicholas Opiyo, a prominent Ugandan human rights lawyer. “Agather’s disappearance must be accounted for by the Tanzanian state.”
Human Rights Watch said it is “gravely concerned” by the credible allegations.
“These aren’t rogue officers. The details suggest coordination at the highest levels of government,” HRW’s East Africa director. “We demand the immediate disclosure of Agather’s location and her safe release.”
The Kenya Human Rights Commission has issued a statement urging the East African Community to intervene, while Ugandan lawmakers are pressuring their foreign affairs ministry to act.
#FREEAGATHER: A DIGITAL RESISTANCE GROWS
As the hashtag #FreeAgatherAtuhaire trends across social platforms, activists across the region are calling for cross-border solidarity. Videos, photos, and testimonies are being widely shared, demanding transparency and justice from the Tanzanian government.
“If anyone is holding Agather, it’s that man and Suluhu,” Mwangi said. “Let’s bring Agather home to her family.”
Despite increasing calls for action, the Tanzanian government has yet to issue an official statement
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