Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai kidnapped in Kenya, found hours later

Prominent Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai, who was abducted by armed men in Kenya, says she has been released, after several hours.

Amnesty International Kenya spokesperson Roland Ebole told the BBC she was “forced” into a vehicle in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Sunday afternoon.

But Ms Tsehai was released hours later. She shared a video to her 1.3 million followers on X, appearing visibly shaken and emotional, but said: “I have been saved.”

Ms Tsehai is a staunch critic of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and has accused her government of bringing “tyranny back” to the country.

The Law Society of Kenya president, Faith Odhiambo, said on X they had managed to arrange her release.

“We are sending a warning. We will not allow our country to be used as a haven for picking up individuals,” she said at an evening press conference.

Neither Kenyan nor Tanzanian officials have commented.

Ms Tsehai is a fierce advocate for land rights and freedom of expression in Tanzania.

There have been concerns that Tanzania could be returning to the repressive rule of late President John Magufuli, despite his successor Samia lifting a ban on opposition gatherings and promising to restore competitive politics.

Last year, dozens of opposition were arrested and some were brutally killed. One senior opposition leader died after being doused in acid.

Human Rights Watch described the rise in arrests of opposition activists as a “bad sign” ahead of the 2025 presidential elections, which will take place in October.

Change Tanzania, a movement founded by Ms Tsehai, said in a statement on X it believed she had been taken by Tanzanian security agents “operating beyond Tanzania borders to silence government legitimate criticism.”

It added that her “courage in standing up for justice has made her a target”.

In recent months, she had expressed concerns about her safety, reporting an incident where two unidentified men were seen looking for her at her home while she was away.

Kenya has a history of enabling foreign governments to abduct its citizens and carry out forcible extraditions, breaching international law.

Last year, Ugandan opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, was kidnapped in Nairobi, allegedly by Ugandan security officials, and taken across the border for trial by a court martial.

The Ugandan government said Kenya helped them in the operation – but the Kenyan government denied this.

Mr Ebole told the BBC “it might be another repeat” of Mr Besigye’s situation.

Internally, Kenya has been gripped by a wave of disappearances, following last year’s youth-led protests against a series of planned tax rises.

On Sunday, a serving minister whose son was abducted in June last year criticised the government over its handling of the matter.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi said the abduction of his son – who was later released – remained unexplained, even though he was a senior member of the government.

At the time, he was serving as the attorney-general.

”My son was personally abducted and disappeared making us anxious and at that time, I was the Attorney General of Kenya and a member of the National Security Council,” he said at a press conference, adding that he had received not answers despite reaching out to the top security officials.

A state-funded rights group saying that over 80 people were abducted in the last six months. The abductions started in the wake of deadly anti-tax protests last June and have continued against critics of the government.

A few have been released in recent weeks, and there are growing calls for all who have been abducted to be freed.