Tanzanian and Ugandan Opposition Leaders are Abducted, Respectively, in Kenya

On January 12, 2025, Maria Sarungi Tsehai, a well-known Tanzanian activist and dissident, was kidnapped in Nairobi, Kenya, by three armed men. With over one million followers on X, Tsehai is a staunch advocate for political reform, freedom of speech and expression, and women’s rights.[1] She is also an outspoken critic of Samia Suluhu Hassan, the current president of Tanzania, which has made her a target of violence. In 2020, Tsehai fled to Kenya seeking asylum after receiving an alarming number of threats from government officials working under late President John Magufuli.[2] She anticipated that Kenya would offer her more protection and stability however, this did not prove to be the case