Two East African activists—Kenya’s Boniface Mwangi and Uganda’s Agather Atuhaire—have come forward with harrowing accounts of sexual assault, allegedly perpetrated by Tanzanian security personnel during a detention that has shaken regional civil society circles and reignited concerns over human rights in Tanzania.
Mwangi, a well-known Kenyan photojournalist and human rights advocate, and Atuhaire, an investigative journalist and civic rights defender from Uganda, were arrested in Tanzania’s commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, in May. The duo had traveled there to witness the court appearance of Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu, who is currently facing a controversial treason charge.
Their arrest, unacknowledged by Tanzanian authorities to date, drew attention partly due to a statement issued the same day by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who warned against foreign activists “interfering in our affairs.”
But what followed, according to the activists, was far more disturbing than political posturing.
Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on Monday, Mwangi fought back tears as he recalled being seized from his hotel room, blindfolded, and transported to an undisclosed location. There, he says, interrogators demanded his phone and laptop, stripped him, photographed him in the nude, and sexually assaulted him.
“These men dehumanized me,” Mwangi said, voice trembling. “They violated not just my body, but everything I stand for.”
Atuhaire, recounting a parallel ordeal, said she too was blindfolded, tied up, and subjected to sexual abuse while in custody.
“I was treated like a criminal for standing up for justice,” she said. “I never imagined something so degrading would happen to me while in the hands of people who wear a uniform and call themselves law enforcers.”
Both activists said they were eventually driven to remote border regions—Mwangi near the Kenya-Tanzania frontier, Atuhaire near Uganda’s border—and left to make their way home without explanation or apology.
Requests for comment sent to Tanzanian police, the country’s foreign affairs ministry, and government spokespeople have gone unanswered. Likewise, Kenyan and Ugandan authorities have remained publicly silent, despite growing pressure from activists and human rights organizations demanding investigations and accountability.
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The incident has spotlighted the increasingly precarious climate for dissent in Tanzania ahead of October’s presidential elections. Lissu, the opposition leader the activists went to support, was arrested in April for allegedly inciting public unrest—a charge many observers believe is politically motivated.
Though President Hassan was initially praised for softening Tanzania’s authoritarian grip after succeeding the late President John Magufuli in 2021, recent developments suggest a resurgence of the repression that once defined her predecessor’s tenure. Arrests of opposition figures, alleged abductions, and now chilling claims of torture and sexual violence have cast a shadow over her administration’s human rights record.
Hassan has previously declared a commitment to upholding human rights and even commissioned an investigation into reports of enforced disappearances last year. But critics say that promise is being eclipsed by a crackdown on political opponents and critics.
As for Mwangi and Atuhaire, their focus is now on healing—but they say they won’t be silenced.
“This is not just about me,” said Atuhaire. “It’s about the countless others who never get to tell their stories. We are speaking up not only to seek justice, but to prevent this from happening again.”
Their courage in telling their stories has sparked renewed calls from civil society groups for an independent international inquiry and greater protections for human rights defenders across East Africa. For many, the question now is whether Tanzanian authorities—and the region—will listen.
