Tanzanian Media Editor Maria Tsehai Freed After Abduction in Nairobi

By Samuel Ouma

Tanzanian independent media editor and human rights defender Maria Sarungi Tsehai has been freed after being abducted in Nairobi on Sunday afternoon.

Her release has been welcomed by rights organizations, though questions remain about her ordeal and the motives behind it.
Tsehai was reportedly abducted on January 12 at 3:15 pm from Chaka Place in Kilimani, Nairobi, by three armed men in a black Noah vehicle, according to Amnesty International Kenya. The organization described her abduction as a targeted attack on a prominent advocate for human rights and press freedom.

Maria Tsehai was freed late Sunday night under unclear circumstances.

Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has vehemently condemned the abduction of Teshai, terming it alarming.

The human rights defender is the second foreigner to be abducted in the East African nation in less than two months.

In November, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was similarly abducted and detained in a military facility in Uganda on fabricated charges.

“The abduction of Tanzanian Maria Sarungi Tsehai in Kenya today is the second alarming incident of its kind in less than two months, all targeting foreign nationals,” KHRC.

“William Ruto's regime must cease turning Kenya into a playground for foreign autocratic powers to silence and deter dissent.”