Ugandan Activist Agather Atuhaire Found Dumped at Tanzania-Uganda Border

Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire, who was reported missing after her arrest in Tanzania earlier this week, has been found abandoned near the Mutukula border that separates Tanzania and Uganda, according to Ugandan media reports.

Atuhaire had travelled to Dar es Salaam alongside renowned Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi to show solidarity with Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is facing treason charges. The duo was arrested on Monday and reportedly subjected to torture and inhumane treatment while in detention.

Mwangi, who was released and left at the Horohoro border between Kenya and Tanzania on Thursday, recounted harrowing details of their ordeal. Speaking after his release, Mwangi said he last heard Atuhaire on Tuesday morning, May 20, while both were being tortured in the same facility.

“We were forced to strip and crawl to bathe, unable to walk due to the beatings. We were blindfolded and handcuffed. I couldn’t see her, but I could hear her groans of pain,” Mwangi said. “Whenever we tried to speak, we were met with kicks and insults.”

He alleges that a Tanzanian state security officer orchestrated their torture, having tracked them from the Immigration offices to the Central Police Station before ordering their transfer to a secret location. Mwangi added that the officer also intimidated three lawyers from the Tanganyika Law Society who had initially come to their aid.

Mwangi expressed hope that identifying the officer could lead to justice and help uncover the full extent of what Atuhaire endured.

Human rights groups across East Africa are calling for an independent investigation into the incident, decrying it as a politically motivated violation of regional and international human rights standards.