Tanzanian activist and human rights defender Maria Sarungi has confirmed her safety after the alleged abduction at Chaka Place in Nairobi’s Kilimani area.
In a video posted on her X page some hours after she was reported missing on Sunday, Sarungi said she was safe promising to talk more about her ordeal on Monday.
“Asanteni sana niko salama, Mungu ni mwema na kesho nitachukua muda niwashukuru vizuri,” she said.
(Thank you so much, I am safe, God is good and tomorrow I will take time to properly thank you).
Sarungi, who was with Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo in the video, broke down as she thanked Kenyans and Tanzanians for demanding her release.
According to Amnesty Kenya, Sarungi was taken by three armed men in a black Noah vehicle from Kilimani at approximately 3:15 pm on Sunday.
“Maria, a Tanzanian independent media editor and human rights defender, was kidnapped by three armed men in a black Noah from Chaka Place, Kilimani, Nairobi, Kenya, at 3:15 pm today. Teams are on-site,” Amnesty Kenya posted on X.
There was no immediate comment from police over the incident.
It was not clear where she had been taken amid fears she would be driven to Tanzania for possible incarceration.
Sarungi’s ordeal is the latest case of alleged abduction to happen to a foreigner on Kenyan soil.
On November 16, 2024, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Bezigye was abducted from Nairobi before being driven to Kampala.
The politician went missing while in Nairobi to attend the launch of Martha Karua's memoir, Against The Tide.
Besigye and his colleague Hajji Obeid Lutale have been in remand since November 20, 2024, and are facing several charges related to national security.
The two, who will appear in Uganda’s general court-martial on Monday, are facing three other counts of unlawful possession of two pistols and eight rounds of ammunition, allegedly found in their possession upon their arrest at Riverside Apartments in Kenya.
