Kenyan Activist Mwabili Mwagodi Abducted In Tanzania
Mwagodi, who has spent part of the past few months living in Tanzania, has been outspoken about politicians making donations to churches.
Marvin Chege 
Mwabili Mwagodi has become the latest Kenyan activist to be abducted in Tanzania, just weeks after six others — including Boniface Mwangi — were detained in the same country.
Speaking on Friday morning, Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid confirmed the incident, stating that Mwabili was allegedly kidnapped on Wednesday, July 21, by unidentified individuals in Tanzania.
Mwagodi, who has spent part of the past few months living in Tanzania, has been outspoken about politicians making donations to churches. He recently launched a campaign titled Occupy the Church, aimed at exposing corrupt clergy.
Khalid said he was informed of the abduction by a family member who reached out directly to inquire about Mwagodi’s whereabouts.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan during a past presidential address. /ALL AFRICA
While announcing Mwagodi’s abduction, the Vocal Africa CEO condemned President Samia Suluhu’s government, accusing it of unjustly targeting Kenyan activists.
"A Kenyan has been abducted in Tanzania. Again. Family has confirmed that Mwabili Mwagodi, who is a Kenyan activist and was vocal against church donations, was abducted in Tanzania on Wednesday," said Khalid.
"It seems Samia Suluhu and her government are working around the clock to target Kenyan activists. Free Mwabili Mwagodi now."
Speaking on the incident, Mwagodi’s wife revealed that he disappeared on Wednesday around 10 p.m. while heading to Dar es Salaam.
She explained that he had left his vehicle behind and opted to travel by public transport to the city, where a hospitality firm employs him.
It was during this journey that his phone went off, and multiple attempts to contact him failed, raising fears that he may have been abducted.
Before relocating to Tanzania, Mwagodi worked in the hospitality industry in Mombasa, where he began his campaign against preachers who welcome politicians into their churches.
Like many of his activist peers, Mwagodi has been an outspoken critic of President William Ruto’s government. In 2024, he travelled from Mombasa to Nyahururu to mobilise youth against the now-defunct Finance Bill 2024.
The Tanzanian authorities are yet to comment on Mwagodi's abduction at the time of publishing this story.
