Kenyan court orders police to produce missing Tanzanian activist dead or alive

Kenya’s High Court has ordered senior police and security officials to produce missing Tanzanian activist Twaha Mwaipaya before it on November 2, dead or alive, as concerns mount over his whereabouts following his reported abduction.

In an order issued on Friday, October 30, 2026, High Court judge Alexander Muteti directed Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and other security officials to present Mwaipaya before the Milimani High Court in Nairobi at 11am.

The court also ordered the respondents to produce the original warrant authorising his detention and explain why he should not be released immediately if he is being held in custody.

The directive followed an urgent application filed on October 27 by human rights organisation VOCAL Africa and other groups seeking to establish Mwaipaya’s whereabouts and the legal basis for his reported detention.

Mwaipaya was reportedly abducted on Sunday, October 25, while travelling in a taxi in Kamulu, on the outskirts of Nairobi. Armed men travelling in three vehicles, including a Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop, allegedly intercepted the taxi and took him away.

He was reportedly on his way to visit friends when the incident occurred. Another Tanzanian opposition member who was travelling with him is said to have escaped.

The habeas corpus application named the Inspector General of Police, the National Police Service, the DCI director, the director-general of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the officer commanding Ruai Police Station and Kenya’s Attorney-General, among other respondents.

In his ruling, Judge Muteti certified the matter as urgent and directed the relevant officials to appear in court on November 2 to account for the circumstances surrounding Mwaipaya’s disappearance and possible detention.

The respondents and other interested parties were also ordered to be served with the application and court orders by the close of business on Friday.

Mr Mwaipaya is a Tanzanian political activist and former national mobilisation coordinator of Chadema’s youth wing, known as Bavicha.

Since his reported abduction, efforts to establish his whereabouts have involved Amnesty International Kenya, human rights activists and Chadema. However, his location and condition remain unknown.

His disappearance has heightened concerns among human rights organisations over the safety of Tanzanian political activists in Kenya, with the court proceedings expected to provide further clarity on the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.