Tanzania Blocks Kenya From Accessing Boniface Mwangi
Kenya expressed frustration over the lack of updates and raised concerns about Mwangi’s well-being.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
The Kenyan government has claimed that Tanzanian officials have not shared any details about the missing activist Boniface Mwangi, who has been missing since Monday.
Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims they have repeatedly tried to contact Tanzanian authorities to locate Mwangi but has not received any response.
This comes after Mwangi was reportedly detained in Dar es Salaam on Monday morning for obstruction and entering the country without proper documentation.
In a formal letter to Tanzania’s East African Cooperation ministry, Kenya expressed frustration over the lack of updates and raised concerns about Mwangi’s well-being.
Activist Boniface Mwangi during past protests. /BONIFACE MWANGI
"The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania and has the honour to express its deep concern regarding the apprehension of Mr Boniface Mwangi, a Kenyan citizen, Passport No. BK 472892, being held by the United Republic of Tanzania authorities," part of the statement read.
"The Ministry notes that, despite several requests, officials of the Government of Kenya have been denied consular access and information to Mr. Mwangi. The Ministry is also concerned about his health, overall wellbeing and the absence of information regarding his detention."
In response to the situation, the Kenyan government said it had no choice but to invoke the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), which guarantees that consular officials can freely communicate with and access their nationals in a foreign country.
The treaty also grants consular officers the right to visit detained citizens, speak with them, and help secure legal support—rights that Kenya claims have been denied in Boniface Mwangi’s case.
As a result, Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on Tanzania to "expeditiously and without delay facilitate consular access to or release of Mwangi, in accordance with international legal obligations and diplomatic norms."
"The Government of Kenya reaffirms its commitment to the cordial bilateral relations that exist between the two countries and expresses the hope that this matter will be resolved swiftly and amicably, in the spirit of regional cooperation and mutual respect," the statement continued.
Around midnight on Monday, May 19, Tanzanian authorities showed up at Boniface Mwangi’s hotel room in Dar es Salaam, demanding he leave with them. Though they claimed to be police, Mwangi said in a video posted during the encounter that they refused to show any ID.
Mwangi refused to go with them unless his lawyers were present. Later that day, reports surfaced that he had been taken into custody in Tanzania and was being held ahead of deportation.
By Tuesday, Tanzanian officials claimed Mwangi had been deported back to Kenya, but concerns grew when no one could confirm his actual whereabouts.
Later that day, Tanzanian lawyer Boniface Mwabukusi said Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire were no longer with the police but were being held by Tanzania’s Immigration Department, awaiting deportation.
Since then, no new information has been released about Mwangi, who had travelled to Tanzania to observe the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Investigative journalist Njeri Mwangi, Boniface's wife, urged Tanzanian officials to free the activist, accusing them of infringing on his rights.
“I last spoke to Boniface on Monday afternoon. The Tanzanian authorities are saying they have deported him, but why is there no communication? Where is Bonnie?” she posed, adding, “Give us back Boniface, wounded or dead. It has been very agonising for my family, and it is not fair or right what they are doing to him.”
Meanwhile, Kenya’s former Justice Minister Martha Karua and human rights advocates Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi were deported on Sunday after attempting to attend the same trial. Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid were also deported on Monday.
Tanzanian opposition leader Tindu Lissu faces treason charges ahead of an election in October. /AFP
