In 2025, some Kenyan activists were arrested while in foreign countries, triggering public outrage and raising fresh concerns over the safety of human rights defenders operating across borders.
The incidents, mainly reported in neighbouring countries, drew sharp reactions from civil society groups, families, and the Kenyan public, with calls for accountability and respect for fundamental rights.
Below are some of the notable cases involving Kenyan activists who were detained outside the country during the year.
Boniface Mwangi
Activist Boniface Mwangi was arrested in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on May 19, 2025.
Read More
Mwangi had travelled to Tanzania at a time when court proceedings were ongoing for Tundu Lissu, a Tanzanian opposition leader facing treason charges.
Mwangi resurfaced on Thursday, May 22, in Ukunda, Kwale County, after he was deported from Tanzania. He was taken to the hospital to receive medical treatment.
Speaking after his release, Mwangi revealed that he was inhumanely tortured during detention.
“I have gone through four very dark days. I have been tortured very badly. I can barely walk,” Mwangi said.
“We were tortured and told to strip naked and bathe. We couldn’t walk and were told to crawl and wash off the blood.”
Mwabili Mwagodi
Mwabili Mwagodi, popularly known as TL Elder, was abducted in Tanzania on Friday, July 25.
According to his sister, Isabella Kituri, he was working at the Amani Beach Hotel in Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam.
Mwagodi resurfaced two days later in Diani, Kwale County. Human rights activist and Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid said Mwagodi was dropped in a bush in Kinondo before walking about three kilometres to Diani, where he contacted his family.
“Mwabili was dropped in a bush in Kinondo, Kwale County, around 3 am, where he walked for about three kilometres to Diani. While in Diani, he managed to call his family, who alerted us, and we sent our officers immediately,” Khalid said.
The activist was later taken to Pandya Hospital in Mombasa for a medical check-up before being flown to Nairobi to reunite with his family.
Nicholas Oyoo & Bob Njagi
Activists Nicholas Oyoo and Bob Njagi were arrested on October 1, 2025, after travelling to Uganda to show solidarity with presidential candidate Bobi Wine ahead of Uganda’s 2026 elections.
The duo was seized by four armed men who surrounded them before forcibly bundling them into a waiting vehicle.
Their arrest sparked outrage online, with Kenyans demanding their release from Ugandan authorities.
Njagi and Oyoo were released on November 7 and handed over to Kenya’s High Commissioner in Uganda, who facilitated their travel to Busia.
Speaking after their release, Njagi alleged that Ugandan authorities detained them based on false intelligence suggesting they were planning to mobilise youth protests within Uganda.
“I think our captors were given wrong intelligence that we were there to mobilise young people to protest. They went through our phones and spent 38 days investigating us, but they never took us to court or charged us with any crime,” Njagi said.
“If we had been participating in any illegal activities, I am sure the Ugandan government would have charged us in court.”
-1769157985.png)
