A group of civil society organisations Sunday condemned what it terms the enforced disappearance, harassment, and incommunicado detention of Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi.
They accused law enforcement of complicity and neglect.
A statement issued on Sunday by the Police Reforms Working Group-Kenya (PRWG-K) said Mwagodi was kidnapped in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on July 23 and then abandoned in a forested area in Kinondo, Kwale County, around 3 a.m. on July 27.
Disoriented and exhausted, he reportedly walked kilometers to Diani Police Station to seek help, only to be met with threats of arrest by police officers.
Mwagodi, known for his outspoken role in the #OccupyChurch movement, has frequently criticized government corruption and what he describes as creeping political control over religious spaces.
PRWG-K said the ordeal is a chilling reflection of the shrinking civic space and growing repression across the East African region.
“The indifference and institutional apathy shown by agencies such as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), even as his family pleaded for help, reveal a disturbing pattern,” the group said.
They added the activist’s treatment violates a number of legal frameworks, including Article 244 of the Constitution, which requires police to uphold human rights and dignity
The group also cited the National Police Service Act and the Prevention of Torture Act, 2012, warning that such actions erode public trust in law enforcement.
PRWG-K issued four key demands: an official apology from the National Police Service, an independent investigation into the conduct of Diani-based officers, a formal government position on protecting civic actors, and a joint commitment from the governments of Kenya and Tanzania to end cross-border targeting of activists.
“Mwabili’s case is not unique,” the coalition noted.
“It illustrates a growing disregard for constitutional protections and a dangerous normalization of transnational repression.”
The statement was signed by over 20 human rights organisations, including Amnesty International Kenya, HAKI Africa, Katiba Institute, the Kenya Human Rights Commission, Transparency International Kenya, FIDA-Kenya, and the International Justice Mission, among others.
“The role of police is to protect, not punish,” the coalition said.
“The time to act is now—before impunity becomes the norm, and justice the exception.”
This is not the first disappearance case to be reported as on June 24 ,2025, activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire were in May abducted in Tanzania.
The two went missing for days before they both dumped near the border of Kenya and Uganda after days of uproar over their missing.
Mwangi was dumped in Ukunda, Kwale, at the border of Kenya and Tanzania. He was found unconscious, rushed to the hospital after he was discharged.
Atuhaire on the other hand was dumped at the border of Tanzania and Uganda where she was found exhibiting signs of torture.
Atuhaire and Mwangi had travelled to Tanzania to support opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was to appear in court.
The two have since filed a case before the East African Court of Justice over claims of abduction, torture, and unlawful deportation by the Tanzanian government.
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