29th October, 2026
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) is greatly concerned by the reported abduction of Twaha Salim Mwaipaya, a Tanzanian political activist last Sunday 25th October 2026 in Machakos County.
According to information received, Mr. Mwaipaya was travelling in a taxi to visit friends in Kamulu, Machakos County, when he was allegedly intercepted by unidentified individuals at approximately 2:00 p.m. He was reportedly forcibly removed from the vehicle and taken away by his captors in a convoy of three vehicles. His whereabouts remain unknown. Mr. Mwaipaya reportedly fled to Kenya in 2025 from Tanzania in fear for his life and personal safety.
The Commission is deeply concerned that this incident appears to form part of a disturbing pattern of enforced disappearances, abductions, and unlawful cross-border transfers involving individuals residing in, or seeking refuge within, Kenya. Over the past two years, other Tanzanian nationals, including Maria Tsehai Sarungi and Mshabaha Hamza, were reportedly abducted at gunpoint in Nairobi. In October 2024, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs publicly acknowledged that the Government of Kenya had repatriated four Turkish refugees who had previously disappeared following their abduction in Nairobi. Similarly, Dr Kizza Besigye, a Ugandan opposition politician, was reportedly abducted in Nairobi and forcibly transferred to Uganda in November 2024.
Such incidents raise grave questions regarding the protection of persons at risk, respect for the rule of law, and Kenya’s compliance with its constitutional and international human rights obligations. They also threaten to undermine Kenya’s longstanding reputation as a place of safety for individuals fleeing persecution, political repression and threats to their lives across the region and beyond.
Kenya has a constitutional and international obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of every person within its jurisdiction, without discrimination on grounds of nationality or immigration status. These obligations arise, inter alia, under Articles 26, 28, 29 and 49 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, which safeguard the right to life, human dignity, freedom and security of the person, and the rights of arrested persons, respectively. Where the circumstances disclose a possible enforced disappearance, the State is further obliged to ensure prompt, independent and effective investigations, establish the fate and whereabouts of the missing person, and hold any perpetrators accountable in accordance with the law.
Kenya’s obligations under international refugee and human rights law, including the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the principle of non-refoulement, must also be upheld. No person should be subjected to an unlawful transfer, rendition or return that exposes them to persecution, torture or other serious human rights violations.
In fulfilment of this mandate, the Commission calls upon the Government of Kenya to take urgent measures to establish Mr. Mwaipaya's whereabouts, guarantee his safety and security, and hold accountable any individuals or entities found responsible for his disappearance.
The Commission further urges the Government to ensure the protection of all refugees, asylum seekers, political exiles, and other persons at risk within its territory, and to refrain from any actions that directly or indirectly facilitate unlawful renditions or violations of the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee protection and customary international law.
Kenya must uphold its constitutional values and international obligations by ensuring that its territory is not used as a venue for transnational repression, enforced disappearances, or the extrajudicial transfer of individuals to jurisdictions where they face persecution or other serious human rights violations.
The KNCHR will continue to monitor the situation and calls for urgent action to establish Mr. Mwaipaya’s whereabouts, protect his life and safety, and ensure accountability for any violations of his fundamental rights.
Anyone with information on the abduction of Twaha Salim may contact KNCHR through Email: haki@knchr.org ; SMS: 22359; WhatsApp: 0798 849 871; or Toll-Free: 0800 720 627.
Haki Kwa Wote, Kila Wakati!
Claris Ogangah,
Chairperson Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR)