Mombasa: Activist Mwabili Mwagodi has detailed his harrowing experience of being abducted and held incommunicado for four days in Tanzania, before being abandoned in a thicket in Kinondo, Kwale County. After receiving medical treatment for five days at a Mombasa hospital, Mwagodi, along with his relatives, lawyer, and fellow activists, appeared at the Central Police Station in Mombasa to record a statement. However, his attempt was unsuccessful after the Officer Commanding Station declined, citing a lack of jurisdiction since the incident occurred outside their area.
According to Kenya News Agency, Mwagodi addressed the press, explaining that he had been working legally at a hotel in Tanzania for several years until his ordeal began on July 23. He narrated how four men abducted him, confiscated his documents, and blindfolded him before taking him to an unknown location. There, he was interrogated all night in an isolated room while handcuffed. The abductors later took him to his workplace, where they also confiscated his phones and laptop.
Mwagodi described being under the guard of two armed men in a private house, locked in a bedroom, and cuffed day and night, except during meals. On the fourth day, after a long drive, he was handed over to unknown individuals who were rough with him, blindfolded him again, and interrogated him about his issues with the Head of State. They assaulted him before leaving him in a thicket.
Disoriented but determined, Mwagodi managed to walk until he reached Coral Cove, where he received assistance, and the establishment’s manager called the police. Human Rights Activists intervened to prevent his detention at Diani Police Station. Mwagodi expressed gratitude to his family, friends, and Kenyans for their support during his detention.
Muslim for Human Rights Chairman Khelef Khalifa accused authorities in Tanzania of collaborating with Kenyan security to silence dissidents. He questioned the refusal to record Mwagodi’s statement at Diani Police Station and suggested a cover-up. Mwagodi’s lawyer, Munira Ali, condemned the abduction as illegal, emphasizing that his client’s only ‘mistake’ was holding the government accountable.
