Ugandan human rights activist Agather Atuhaire remains missing despite earlier reports that she was deported from Tanzania. Online campaigns have begun demanding her release.
A significant highlight of the event is the Men’s Conference, which will tackle common challenges men encounter, such as career development, leadership, and personal relationships.
Earlier this week, the two were taken into custody under uncertain circumstances while attending the trial of Tanzanian opposition politician Tundu Lissu. Mwangi was threatened with a three-year prison sentence on immigration charges after resisting a 2:00 a.m. raid by armed officers in his hotel room.
As of this morning, Ugandan activists Agather Atuhaire and Boniface Mwangi remain missing, despite previous reports suggesting their release. Civil society groups state they have not yet verified their safe return or departure from Tanzania.
On Wednesday morning, Agora, a Kampala-based civil liberties organization led by Atuhaire, expressed growing concern over their ongoing disappearance, emphasizing the urgent need for their release.
Ugandan activists also report that all communication with Atuhaire and Mwangi has ceased.
Activist Spire Ssentongo has stated that Tanzanian authorities have not provided any official information regarding the whereabouts of Agather Atuhaire and Boniface Mwangi. According to Ssentongo, they have not boarded any flights and remain unreachable.
Their disappearance has intensified concerns about Tanzania’s handling of political dissent and the diminishing civic freedoms under President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration.
The arrests occurred during the ongoing trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is facing sedition charges for openly criticizing the government. His legal team has challenged the presence of heavy security at court and the state's efforts to conduct parts of the trial virtually.
Meanwhile, activists continue to call for their release. Mwanase Ahmed issued an urgent update, emphasizing that it has now been two days since Suluhu’s government detained the two, denouncing claims that they had been deported.
As international attention grows and foreign observers take interest in the case, President Samia has cautioned against what she refers to as "foreign interference" in Tanzania’s internal affairs.
“We will not permit external interference in our country’s governance,” she stated, in what was largely interpreted as a message to regional and international civil society.
Just a few days earlier, Kenyan opposition leader Martha Karua and two lawyers were denied entry into Tanzania. They had traveled to attend events associated with the East Africa Law Society, which is closely observing the ongoing trial of Tundu Lissu.
Human rights and legal organizations across East Africa are urging immediate diplomatic intervention and accountability, warning that Tanzania’s actions violate East African Community (EAC) protocols on free movement and civic participation rights.
