Maria Tsehai's Husband Speaks After Her Release
Mr Tsehai accused the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan of being behind the abduction owing to her criticism of that government.
Marvin Chege 
The husband of Maria Sarungi Tsehai, the Tanzanian activist and media editor kidnapped in Nairobi’s Kilimani neighbourhood on Sunday, January 12, shared his honest feelings after she was released in the evening following sustained social media uproar.
Speaking to Citizen TV, Mr Tsehai accused the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan of being behind the abduction owing to her criticism of that government. “This has been the worst ordeal of my life. I did not know whether she was alive or dead," he remarked.
“She is a fierce critic of Samia Suluhu’s government so there is no doubt that this government and the thugs in her security service and police are behind this."
He went on to reveal that he and Maria have been living in Nairobi after fleeing Kenya’s southern neighbour during the regime of Suluhu's authoritarian predecessor John Magufuli, who issued an arrest warrant against the activist.
Tanzanian journalist and human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai. /LINKEDIN
Tsehai was abducted by three hooded and armed men at Chaka place, where she had gone to a hair salon. The men blocked her taxi some minutes past 3 p.m. and bundled her into a waiting Toyota Noah before driving her away.
She was released later in the evening after human rights groups such as Amnesty International Kenya and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) took up the matter.
“Thank you very much, dear Kenyans and Tanzanians. I am safe and God is good,” Tsehai stated in a recorded video shared after her release. “I will say thank you properly tomorrow.”
LSK President Faith Odhiambo described the activist's abduction as “unfortunate”, saying it “paints a worrying picture of the state of our country's human rights context.” “We will pursue answers from all relevant authorities on why this happened,” she vowed.
Tsehai's abduction also drew international attention, with United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator to Kenya, Stephen Jackson, noting that the abduction of the Tanzanian national was worrying. The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger, termed the matter as "concerning."
Meanwhile, a video 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.
Before her abduction, Tsehai had exposed the Tanzania Government's plans to import two aeroplanes. 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 neighbourhood 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 to face 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.
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