Mwaipaya, a former youth leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party Chadema, disappeared on Sunday while travelling in a taxi with a friend in Kamulu on the outskirts of Nairobi.
Amnesty International East Africa Researcher Sikula Oniala on Monday said five masked individuals wearing dark sunglasses intercepted the taxi in a double-cab vehicle.
Mwaipaya’s companion reportedly escaped after pushing through the front passenger door, but Mwaipaya was unable to leave the back seat before being taken. “Amnesty International has verified that Twaha Mwaipaya was abducted on Sunday in an area called Kamulu on the outskirts of Nairobi,” Oniala said.
Mwaipaya had reportedly lived in Kenya for slightly more than a year after fleeing Tanzania.
Oniala said Mwaipaya had used a substantial social media following to demand accountability for alleged violations during Tanzania’s 2025 elections and call for the release of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
The disappearance comes amid Amnesty International investigations into alleged abductions and enforced disappearances involving Tanzanian opposition members, human rights defenders and government critics. “We’ve not had an official response from the government,” Oniala said.
Amnesty International reported the case to police in the area where the alleged abduction occurred. Officers had undertaken to investigate, although no update had been provided. “The Kenyan authorities must find Mwaipaya and hand Mwaipaya back to family and friends in Nairobi,” Oniala said.
Oniala said Kenyan authorities had a responsibility to protect everyone within Kenyan territory and prevent the forcible return of individuals facing possible torture or death.
Any transfer to Tanzania should follow lawful procedures, including where criminal allegations existed.
The incident had created fear among political activists and human rights defenders who had sought safety in neighbouring countries. “There’s a chilling effect that this kind of action has on political activists and human rights defenders,” Oniala said.
“Many are now scared of even moving out of their homes.”
Amnesty International said the case reflected a broader regional pattern of alleged cross-border repression and threatened democratic participation across East Africa.
–ChannelAfrica–
