NAIROBI — The United States has called for a swift and transparent investigation into claims that two prominent East African activists were tortured while in Tanzanian custody.
Kenyan photojournalist and human rights campaigner Boniface Mwangi, alongside Ugandan activist and lawyer Agather Atuhaire, say they were abducted, beaten, and abused after being detained by Tanzanian security forces earlier this week.
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment in Tanzania of two East African activists,” the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs said in a statement on Friday. “We call for an immediate and full investigation… and urge all countries in the region to hold those responsible to account.”
Atuhaire, who last year received the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage award, described harrowing treatment at the hands of her captors. Speaking to the media after being found at the Mutukula border between Tanzania and Uganda, she detailed a violent assault that, in her own words, amounted to rape.
“When I arrived, I was ordered to take off my clothes,” she said. “Before I could respond, I was hit on the back and stripped. They threw me down, handcuffed me, and tried to hide my injuries under a sweater.”
She paused before adding, “One was hitting the soles of my feet. Another was… violating me. That is rape, by any standard.”
Mwangi, who was found on the Kenyan side of the border at Horohoro, also spoke of abuse and humiliation. “I have gone through four very dark days. I have been tortured very badly I can barely walk,” he said.
The two had travelled to Tanzania to show support for opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court in Dodoma on treason-related charges earlier in the week. They were denied entry to the courtroom and later disappeared. Neither had access to legal counsel or contact with family during their detention.
Their sudden reappearance Mwangi at the Kenya-Tanzania border, Atuhaire at the Uganda crossing sparked outrage and renewed scrutiny of Tanzania’s treatment of dissent and foreign activists.
Tanzanian authorities have yet to issue a formal response to the allegations. Efforts to reach government spokespeople were unsuccessful as of Saturday evening.
Criticism has come swiftly from within the region. Martha Karua, leader of Kenya’s People’s Liberation Party and a veteran advocate for democracy and civil rights, wrote to the African Union demanding an immediate response from President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government.
“This is not just about two individuals,” Karua said. “This is about the wider erosion of civil liberties and the impunity with which state actors appear to be operating.”
Earlier this week, President Suluhu delivered a speech warning of foreign interference in Tanzania’s domestic affairs. While she did not name specific individuals, she accused unnamed regional activists of crossing into Tanzanian territory to “cause chaos.”
Security analysts say the incident risks straining diplomatic ties between Tanzania and its neighbours.
“These allegations are serious, and silence from Dodoma only fuels suspicion,” said Dr. Michael Mbithi, a regional policy expert at the University of Nairobi. “The region is watching how this is handled.”
In the meantime, both Mwangi and Atuhaire have returned home, reportedly receiving medical attention and planning legal action. Human rights groups across Africa have echoed the U.S. call for accountability, saying the reported abuse must not go unanswered.
“East African governments must not use national security as a shield against justice,” said Sheila Nduta of Amnesty International Kenya. “Torture is a crime full stop.”
For now, the two activists remain shaken but defiant. As Mwangi put it in a brief post on X: “They tried to break us. They failed.”
