Kenya presses Tanzania over Boniface Mwangi’s detention, cites Vienna Convention breach
The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs urged Tanzania to "expeditiously and without delay facilitate consular access to or release of Mwangi."
Kenya has formally protested the continued detention of prominent activist Boniface Mwangi by Tanzanian authorities, in a diplomatic note that signals mounting frustration in Nairobi.
The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs issued a strongly worded démarche on May 21, urging Tanzania to "expeditiously and without delay facilitate consular access to or release of Mwangi."
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According to the note, Kenyan officials have been repeatedly denied access to Mwangi, who was apprehended in Tanzania under unclear circumstances.
Citing the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), the ministry reminded Tanzania that consular officers must be granted freedom to communicate with and visit detained nationals of the sending state.
"The Ministry is also concerned about his health, overall wellbeing and the absence of information regarding his detention," the statement read, calling for urgent clarity and adherence to international legal obligations.
This comes as Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, in a televised Citizen TV interview earlier this week, sought to downplay the tensions, suggesting that diplomatic efforts were underway.
"Our embassy is in touch with him in terms of trying to figure out how he can be helped so that he can find his way home," said Mudavadi.
However, he conceded that "the authorities have not given us clear reasons why Boniface is being held."
The episode adds a new wrinkle to what has increasingly become a strained relationship between the East African neighbours, particularly as Nairobi faces domestic pressure to uphold the rights of its citizens abroad, while Dodoma doubles down on sovereignty and non-interference.
Whether this flashpoint escalates or diffuses may ultimately hinge on quiet back-channel diplomacy—and the will of Tanzania to release the high-profile detainee in a region where civil liberties and cross-border engagements remain delicately balanced.
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