The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has called on the authorities to urgently establish the whereabouts of Tanzanian political activist Twaha Salim Mwaipaya, who was reportedly abducted in Machakos County.
In a press statement dated October 29, the commission said Mwaipaya was travelling in a taxi to visit friends in Kamulu on Sunday, October 25, when unidentified individuals allegedly intercepted the vehicle and took him away.
According to information received by the commission, the incident occurred at about 2 pm, with the alleged abductors using a convoy of three vehicles.
“His whereabouts remain unknown,” KNCHR said, adding that Mwaipaya had fled Tanzania for Kenya in 2025 out of fear for his life and personal safety.
The commission expressed concern over what it described as a pattern of enforced disappearances, abductions and unlawful cross-border transfers involving people living in or seeking refuge in Kenya.
It cited previously reported cases involving Tanzanian nationals Maria Sarungi Tsehai and Mshabaha Hamza, who they claimed were abducted at gunpoint in Nairobi.
The commission further cited the November 2024 abduction of Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye in Nairobi and his reported transfer to Uganda.
KNCHR said the incidents raised concerns about the protection of people at risk and Kenya’s obligations under national and international human rights law.
“Kenya has a constitutional and international obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of every person within its jurisdiction, without discrimination on grounds of nationality or immigration status,” the commission said.
It cited Articles 26, 28, 29 and 49 of the Constitution, which protect the right to life, human dignity, freedom and security of the person, and the rights of arrested persons.
The commission said that where circumstances point to a possible enforced disappearance, the state is required to ensure prompt, independent and effective investigations, establish the missing person’s fate and whereabouts, and hold those responsible accountable in accordance with the law.
It also called on the government to uphold the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face persecution, torture or other serious human rights violations.
“No person should be subjected to an unlawful transfer, rendition or return that exposes them to persecution, torture or other serious human rights violations,” KNCHR said.
The commission urged the government to protect refugees, asylum seekers, political exiles and other people at risk, warning against any actions that could facilitate unlawful transfers across borders.
Separately, Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Bernard Kibesse, said on October 26 that the embassy was following up on reports of Mwaipaya’s disappearance but had not received an official report of the incident at that time.
KNCHR said it would continue monitoring the situation and urged anyone with information about Mwaipaya’s whereabouts to contact the commission.
