The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator to Kenya, Stephen Jackson, on Sunday, raised concerns over the abduction of Maria Sarungi Tsehai, a Tanzanian media personality and human rights defender who was reportedly abducted in Nairobi.
Through his official X handle, Jackson noted the abduction of the Tanzanian national was worrying.
“Very concerned at this report,” he shared in response to a report shared by Amnesty Kenya over the abduction of Sarungi.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) in Kenya plays a pivotal role in supporting the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) and ensuring cohesive UN engagement across the country.
The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator to Kenya, Stephen Jackson.
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UN
The abducted national is said to be a fierce critic of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu, though the reasons for her abductions are not yet established.
Reliable reports by Amnesty Kenya who first broke out the news of the abduction reported that Tsehai was picked up by three armed men at Chaka Place in Kilimani on Sunday at around 3:15 pm.
“Ms Maria S Tsehai, Tanzanian independent media editor and human rights defender kidnapped by three armed men in a black Noah from Chaka Place, Kilimani, Nairobi, Kenya at 3.15 pm today,” the statement by Amnesty Kenya read in part.
“Teams on site. Spread the word, let’s keep Maria safe,” added the report.
Tsehai who was abducted is a media and communications expert and an ardent critic of President Samia Suluhu who does not shy away from exposing and calling out the Tanzanian government.
With her huge following on social media specifically on X, her posts reach a wide audience who resonate with her activism.
Prior to her abduction, Tsehai had exposed the Tanzania Government’s plans to import two airplanes. One is a brand new one for the VIP in Tanzania and the other is for Air Tanzania as a passenger plane.
Tsehai’s abduction marks the second time a vocal East African activist has been kidnapped from an affluent neighborhood in Nairobi in barely three months after Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was abducted.
On November 16, 2024, Besigye was abducted from Riverside Drive in Nairobi and transported to Uganda where he faces national security charges in a military court.
The abduction raises questions over the membership of Kenya’s commitment to upholding human rights standards as it joins the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) officially in January 2025.
A photo collage of Tanzanian journalist and human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai.
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