Maria Tsehai Reveals Details Of Her Abduction In Nairobi
The vocal activist explained that the incident began when she left the house on her way to Chaka Place to go to a hair salon there.
Marvin Chege 
Maria Sarungi Tsehai, the Tanzanian activist and media editor kidnapped in Nairobi’s Kilimani neighbourhood on Sunday, January 12, recounted the terrifying details of the ordeal in a media address.
Speaking on Monday, January 13 after her abductors set her free, the vocal activist explained that the incident began when she left the house on her way to Chaka Place to go to a hair salon there.
While at the salon, she noticed a masked woman enter quickly, which made her suspicious. As she was leaving and waiting for a taxi she had ordered, a black Toyota Noah van pulled up, blocking her ride.
“Two men got out of the van and started yelling at the driver,” she narrated, adding, “I told him not to open the door, but they forced it open and started dragging me out.”
Tanzanian journalist and human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai. /LINKEDIN
Tsehai described how she resisted, kicking and screaming for help, but the abductors overpowered her. "They managed to lift me, and one of them tried to cover my face with a cloth. They said I wouldn’t be able to breathe,” she recounted.
According to her, the men, who were armed, handcuffed her and drove off at high speed. She recalled hearing them mention the word “bunduki” (gun) during the ordeal, confirming they were armed.
She was thrown around inside the van as her captors demanded the PIN to unlock her phone, which they had confiscated. “They kept insisting I give them my phone PIN. One of them tried to access my phone but couldn’t,” she went on.
Tsehai pleaded with the men to take her to a police station if they were indeed law enforcement officers, but her requests were ignored. Meanwhile, the van made several stops, and she noticed one of her captors getting out multiple times.
Eventually, the men decided to release her. “They gave me back my bag but kept my phones. They left me in a dark place on a rough road,” she stated.
After being released, Tsehai walked to a main road, where she saw parked vehicles and approached for help. She made her way home and contacted her husband using a laptop.
Tsehai believed that the abduction was a direct attack on her activism and criticism of the Tanzanian government. “This incident is targeting what I do for Tanzania. If this was meant to intimidate me, I will not stop. I will not relent,” she affirmed.
Earlier, her husband accused the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan of being behind the abduction. “This has been the worst ordeal of my life. I did not know whether she was alive or dead," he remarked.
A video clip had surfaced online showing two suspected state agents visiting Tsehai's office weeks before her abduction. Another clip seen by Viral Tea showed the driver of a Citi Hoppa matatu who blocked the vehicle that was used for the abduction.
Nonetheless, Tsehai expressed her gratitude to activists and the public for their support, saying the pressure they applied likely played a significant role in her release.
Despite the harrowing experience, she remains resolute in her commitment to advocating for democracy and human rights in Tanzania. “I am not doing anything illegal. I am asking for basic human rights,” Tsehai said.
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