---
title: "Tanzanian activist released after being 'kidnapped' in Kenya's capital"
description: "NAIROBI, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A prominent Tanzanian activist has been released after being \"kidnapped\" on Sunday by three armed men on the streets of Kenya's capital Nairobi, her husband said, accusing Tanzania's national intelligence service of responsibility."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Human rights"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-01-13-tanzanian-activist-released-after-being-kidnapped-in-kenyas-capital/"
published: "2025-01-13T12:36:31"
updated: "2025-01-13T12:36:33"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 272
---

# Tanzanian activist released after being 'kidnapped' in Kenya's capital

> NAIROBI, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A prominent Tanzanian activist has been released after being "kidnapped" on Sunday by three armed men on the streets of Kenya's capital Nairobi, her husband said, accusing Tanzania's national intelligence service of responsibility.

By Reuters · Published 13 January 2025, 14:36 SAST · Updated 13 January 2025, 14:36 SAST

## Key points
- In a plot twist worthy of a political thriller, human rights defender Maria Sarungi Tsehai was whisked away by armed men in Nairobi, only to reappear safe and sound, leaving the Tanzanian government to face yet another round of accusations for its penchant for abducting critics as elections loom.
- Human rights defender Maria Sarungi Tsehai was kidnapped by armed men in Nairobi, raising concerns over government repression in Tanzania.
- Sarungi Tsehai confirmed her safety on social media after a brief detention linked to her criticism of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
- Her husband alleges involvement of Tanzania's intelligence agency, TISS, in the abduction amid a pattern of targeting critics ahead of upcoming elections.
- Amnesty International highlights the incident as part of a broader trend of transnational repression in Kenya, a claim denied by local authorities.

## Content

Maria Sarungi Tsehai, a human rights defender critical of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, was kidnapped by three armed men and taken into a black car in the Kilimani neighbourhood on Sunday afternoon, Amnesty International said.

"I am now safe, many thanks to everyone," Sarungi Tsehai wrote on X several hours later.

Her brief detention comes as the governments of both [Tanzania](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N3KR0L1&linkedFromStory=true) and [Kenya](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3M51K7&linkedFromStory=true) stand accused of abducting critics.

Sarungi Tsehai's husband David Tsehai said the couple sought refuge in Nairobi four years ago after fleeing Tanzania.

"It was the scariest moment of my life," he said in a video clip shared by the Law Society of Kenya late on Sunday.

"There is no doubt in my mind (it is) the thugs of the Tanzania Information and Security Services (TISS) who are behind this."

Spokespersons for Tanzania's government and TISS did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Kenya's police spokesperson also did not respond to a request for comment.

President Hassan ordered an investigation into the abductions last year, when several government critics were [abducted](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N3KR0L1&linkedFromStory=true) and injured or killed by [unknown](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3LW04N&linkedFromStory=true) people, in a pattern by which, rights groups say, the government targets opponents in the run-up to national elections expected later this year.

Amnesty International researcher Roland Ebole said Sarungi Tsehai's abduction was another example of "transnational repression that is happening on Kenyan soil," accusations Kenyan authorities deny.

In November a Ugandan opposition figure was kidnapped in Nairobi and forcibly repatriated to Kampala where he faces charges in a [military court](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3MR02Z&linkedFromStory=true).

(Reporting by Hereward Holland; Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)