Vocal Ruto Critic Mwabili Mwagodi Reportedly Abducted in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — Kenyan digital activist and vocal government critic Mwabili Mwagodi has been reported missing in Dar es Salaam under suspicious circumstances that rights organizations say point to a politically motivated abduction.

Mwagodi, known for his fierce opposition to President William Ruto’s use of church platforms for political fundraising, was last seen Wednesday night in Kigamboni, where he works at the Amani Beach Hotel.

According to family and friends, attempts by his employer to file a missing person report were initially delayed by local police until the mandatory 24-hour window had passed — a move that human rights groups are calling deliberate obstruction.

Human rights organization Vocal Africa has condemned the incident, describing it as an “enforced disappearance.” The group’s executive director, Hussein Khalid, issued a statement Friday claiming that Mwagodi’s disappearance fits a growing pattern of cross-border intimidation targeting Kenyan dissidents.

“A Kenyan has been abducted in Tanzania. Again,” Khalid said. “It seems President Suluhu Samia and her government are working round the clock to target Kenyan activists.”

A distress message reportedly sent by Mwagodi’s sister, Isabella Kituri, also expressed concern over the Tanzanian authorities’ slow response. “We are worried because he was at the front line of blocking Ruto’s church fundraising missions and has been quite vocal mobilizing Gen Z on social media,” she wrote.

Mwagodi’s final social media post on X (formerly Twitter) came just hours before his disappearance. He tagged Kenya’s Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat, DCI Director Mohamed Amin, and President Ruto, labeling them as “criminals” and urging followers to report them to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ new crime reporting platform. The timing of this post has fueled speculation that his outspoken online activism may have triggered his disappearance.

The 32-year-old activist is a founding member of the “Occupy Church Movement,” which has successfully pressured some religious institutions in Kenya to reject political donations. He is widely credited with galvanizing youth-led opposition to what he called the “sacralization of corruption.”

No official statement has been issued by Tanzanian authorities regarding Mwagodi’s whereabouts as of Friday morning. However, mounting pressure from regional rights groups has put both the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments on notice.

Human rights defenders across East Africa have called for an immediate and transparent investigation. Vocal Africa and other organizations are urging Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and the Tanzanian High Commission in Nairobi to intervene before it’s too late.

This is not the first time Kenyan activists have faced threats beyond national borders, in May, activist Boniface Mwangi was abducted and held by Tanzanian authorities alongside an Ugandan activist. Mwagodi’s case adds to a worrying trend of transnational repression, where activists are reportedly targeted for political reasons in neighboring countries.

Supporters have launched the hashtag #FreeMwabiliMwagodi, rallying for his release and demanding accountability from Tanzanian security agencies.

As concern grows, the silence from state authorities on both sides of the border is only deepening the mystery and the fear around the fate of a man whose only weapon was his voice.

Developing story — check back for updates.