A tearful demonstration took place outside the Tanzania High Commission in Nairobi, on Wednesday May 21st 2025, as the wife of prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi joined a peaceful protest demanding his release. Hellen Njeri Mwangi, accompanied by fellow activists, gathered while caling for answers regarding the whereabouts and safety of her husband, who was arrested in Dar es Salaam on May 19th 2025.

The protestors, including Human rights activist, lawyer and CEO of VOCAL Africa, Hussein Khalid, assured that Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire had committed no crime. The activists had traveled to Tanzania to observe a court session involving opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces charges of treason and spreading false information.

During the protest, Njeri Mwangi expressed her distress, condemning the Tanzanian authorities for what she described as an unlawful detention. “He is a human being. Does he have the wrong face having been in Tanzania? Does he have the wrong voice?” she questioned, amid tears. Her sentiments were echoed by Hussein Khalid, who emphasized that attending a judicial process was fully within Tanzanian law.

Despite reports that both activists had been deported, no official statement has been issued by the Tanzanian government or its diplomatic mission in Nairobi, leaving their families and supporters in uncertainty.

The international community has also continued to call for respect for human rights and the release of Mwangi and Atuhaire, urging Tanzania to uphold its obligations within the East African Community and to ensure due process is followed.

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