Two Kenyans freed after detention in Tanzania post-election unrest
The released citizens, lawyer Fredrick Lorent Obuya and financial professional John Gitahi Nderitu, had been taken into custody as part of a wider crackdown on demonstrators.
Two Kenyan citizens who were detained during post-election unrest in Tanzania have been released and are now under the care of the Kenyan High Commission in Dar es Salaam.
The protests, which followed Tanzania’s general elections on October 29, 2025, were sparked by public outrage over the detention of opposition leaders while President Samia Suluhu Hassan sought to continue in office.
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The released citizens, lawyer Fredrick Lorent Obuya and financial professional John Gitahi Nderitu, had been taken into custody as part of a wider crackdown on demonstrators.
Their arrests stirred concern in Kenya, with families and human rights organisations calling for immediate action to secure their release.
On Saturday, November 8, 2025, the Kenyan High Commission confirmed that Ambassador Isaac Njenga had received the two Kenyans.
“The High Commissioner, H.E. Ambassador Isaac Njenga, received two Kenyans who had been arrested in Tanzania following the protests of 29th October 2025 during the General Elections. Mr Fredrick Lorent Obuya, a lawyer and tour operator, and Mr John Gitahi Nderitu, a financial professional, were released without charges to the custody of the Kenya High Commission in Dar es Salaam. They thanked the mission & looked forward to reuniting with their families,” the commission said in a statement.
Human rights organisations had earlier condemned the Tanzanian authorities for the detention and killings of Kenyan citizens, calling the actions “serious violations of human rights and international law.”
VOCAL Africa, Defenders Coalition, and Amnesty International Kenya, in a joint statement on November 7, 2025, said they were alarmed by the “ongoing violence, human rights violations, and the breakdown of the rule of law” in Tanzania following the contested elections.
The statement referenced the killing of John Okoth Ogutu, a Kenyan teacher at Sky Schools in Dar es Salaam, who was allegedly shot by security forces on October 29.
It also cited the arrest of Fredrick Lorent Obuya on October 31, who had been held incommunicado at Oyster Bay Police Station.
“These are not isolated incidents but part of escalating repression unleashed by Tanzanian authorities against the public, journalists, and human rights defenders in the aftermath of the disputed elections,” the groups said.
The organisations also expressed concern over remarks attributed to President Samia Suluhu Hassan and other top officials that blamed foreigners, particularly Kenyans, for the unrest.
They described these claims as “unfounded and dangerous,” warning that such statements increase the risk to Kenyans and other foreign nationals living in Tanzania.
They highlighted that thousands of Kenyans, estimated at 20,000, work and live in Tanzania as teachers, health workers, entrepreneurs, and professionals.
The human rights groups urged the Kenyan government to take proactive steps to safeguard its citizens abroad and ensure accountability for violations.
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