Tanzanian authorities have reportedly detained journalist and civic activist Agather Atuhaire, along with prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, as part of a growing diplomatic storm over the treatment of East African Community (EAC) citizens involved in peaceful civic engagements.
The arrest was confirmed by Godwin Toko of Agora Discourse, who revealed that Atuhaire — the Team Leader at Agora Centre for Research (AgoraCFR) — was in Dodoma as part of an EAC observer mission related to the legal case of Tanzanian opposition politician Tundu Lissu.
The duo is said to have been detained over the weekend, just days after Tanzania also held Kenyan senior counsel Martha Karua under similarly unclear circumstances.
No official charges have been communicated, and there’s growing concern that immigration and criminal laws are being weaponized to stifle civic freedoms within the region.
“This is a blatant misuse of state power. Neither Agather nor Boniface committed a crime,” said Toko, decrying the arrests as politically motivated and in breach of regional cooperation principles.
Critics are pointing fingers at the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, urging immediate release of the detained observers and a commitment to upholding the EAC’s ideals of free movement and civic participation.
The developments have sparked outrage across civil society and human rights groups in East Africa, with calls for the EAC Secretariat to intervene and for Tanzania to stop criminalising regional citizens engaging in peaceful observation and legal support work.
More updates are expected as diplomatic and legal efforts intensify to secure the activists’ release.