The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has condemned the alleged abduction of Tanzanian political activist Twaha Salim Mwaipaya in Machakos County, The Standard reported. The commission said his disappearance raises concerns about the safety of dissidents and refugees in Kenya.
According to KNCHR, Mwaipaya was travelling by taxi to visit friends in Kamulu on October 25. At about 2pm, unidentified individuals stopped the vehicle. He was reportedly forced out and driven away in a convoy of three vehicles. His whereabouts remain unknown. The commission said he sought refuge in Kenya in 2025 because he feared for his life.
"The Commission is deeply concerned that this incident appears to form part of a disturbing pattern of enforced disappearances, abductions, and unlawful cross-border transfers involving individuals residing in, or seeking refuge within, Kenya," KNCHR said in a statement.
The commission listed earlier cases. It said Tanzanian nationals Maria Tsehai Sarungi and Mshabaha Hamza were allegedly abducted in Nairobi over the past two years, reportedly at gunpoint. It also noted that Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing'oei had publicly acknowledged that the government repatriated four Turkish nationals. The four had disappeared after armed men abducted them in Nairobi. KNCHR said Alparslan Tasci, Mustafa Genc, Huseyin Yesilsu and Ozturk Uzun were registered asylum seekers and refugees under United Nations protection.
KNCHR also cited the case of Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye and his aide, Hajj Obeid Lutale. It said men believed to be government agents abducted them from their apartment on November 16, 2024. The two had travelled to Kenya for the book launch of Martha Karua's People's Liberation Party. According to the commission, they were then forcibly transferred to Uganda.
The commission called on the government to urgently establish Mwaipaya's whereabouts and guarantee his safety. It also wants anyone responsible for his disappearance held to account. In addition, it urged authorities to protect refugees, asylum seekers, political exiles and other people at risk.
KNCHR said Kenya must comply with international refugee and human rights law. This includes the 1951 Refugee Convention and the principle of non-refoulement, which bars returning people to places where they face persecution. The commission warned that Kenya must not become a staging ground for transnational repression. Nor should it allow the unlawful transfer of people to places where they risk persecution, it said.