Kenyan human rights activist Mwabili Mwagodi, who mysteriously disappeared in Tanzania on Wednesday, has been found alive after being dumped in a bush in Kinondo, Kwale County, early Sunday morning.
According to Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid, Mwagodi was abandoned near the Lunga Lunga border at around 3am. He then walked roughly 3 kilometers to Diani, where he managed to contact his family. He voluntarily reported to the local police station, but officers attempted to detain him until Vocal Africa and MUHURI Kenya intervened and secured his release.
Mwagodi is now receiving treatment at Pandya Hospital in Mombasa and will later be flown to Nairobi to reunite with his family. His sister, Isabella Kituri, had earlier led public appeals urging both Kenyan and Tanzanian authorities to disclose his whereabouts.
The activist, who has been living and working in Tanzania, claims he was held and tortured over the four days he was missing. Speaking to The Standard, he revealed that three Kenyan police officers were involved in his handover at the border. Authorities also reportedly confiscated his personal items, including his work permit, passport, three mobile phones, a laptop, and his yellow fever certificate.
Images shared following his release show Mwagodi in a wheelchair and under medical care at Pandya Hospital.
Mwagodi had recently become a prominent critic of President William Ruto’s church fundraising activities and was actively mobilising Kenya’s Gen Z population via social media platforms.
His dramatic return has raised serious questions about cross-border policing and the safety of outspoken activists operating in the region.
