Missing activist Mwabili Mwagodi’s sister, Isabella Kituri, appeals to the government to help secure his release
She had earlier said they were worried because Mwagodi was in the frontline of blocking President William Ruto's church fundraising missions and has been quite vocal mobilising Gen Z on social media platforms
The family of missing activist Mwabili Mwagodi has appealed to the government to help them in securing his release from Tanzania.
Addressing journalists, his sister, Isabella Kituri, a journalist with the BBC, said the government should follow legal protocols in addressing the matter, adding that if he committed any crime, he should be taken to court.
Kituri, who broke down in tears during the press conference, said they were informed at around 5pm on Thursday that Mwagodi was missing, adding that they spent the night seeking help from different people and organisations, including Vocal Africa, but have not been successful in tracing his whereabouts.
Shw said they suspect his abduction relates to his activities on social media, which has seen several youth abducted or disappeared by security agencies in Kenya, adding that the matter was reported to the police who issued an OB number.
“During the night we have been reaching out to people if they could help us and finally I managed to get assistance from civil society, Vocal Africa to help us air this matter because nothing is forthcoming and we just want to make sure that those who are holding him out there know that we know and that they will be held accountable,” she said.
“Justice has to be served. He just wanted to preserve the integrity of the church. He was just doing his civil duty as a normal young Kenyan and if there is anything else he should just be produced though the normal legal justice system and it should be transparent because it is enough, it is enough. It is enough,” an emotional Kituri added.
“And so, I am asking the Kenyan government and the Tanzanian government, please, use the legal protocols to address this issue and if it is criminal, still you are accountable. You are the ones who can help us,” she said.
In an earlier post on social media, Hussein Khalid, the CEO of Vocal Africa, said Kituri had texted him to say they were worried because Mwagodi was in the frontline of blocking President William Ruto’s church fundraising missions and has been quite vocal mobilising Gen Z on social media platforms.
Khalid added that it seems Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu’s government is working round the clock to target Kenyan activists.
In May, former Justice minister Martha Karua, former Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga, lawyer Gloria Kimani, a Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Council member and human rights campaigner Lynn Ngugi, Khalid and fellow human rights defender Hanifa Adan were held at the airport in Dar es Salaam before being deported.
They had travelled to the neighbouring country to witness the hearing of the treason case against opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Vocal activist and photojournalist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist and lawyer Agather Atuhaire were detained after being allowed to enter.
Following their release, both accused the Tanzanian police of sexually abusing them.
Tanzania’s police denied the accusation, however amidst the outcry over the detention and deportation of foreign activists, President Samia issued a stark warning.
“If they have been contained in their country, let them not come here to meddle. Let’s not give them a chance. They have already created chaos in their own country,” she said.
