Kenyans Held Amid Tanzanian Unrest Let Go Without Charges

Diplomatic intervention by the Kenyan government has seen the release of two Kenyan citizens who were arrested in Tanzania after post-election demonstrations.

On Saturday, November 8, the Kenyan High Commission in Tanzania said that the two men, Fredrick Lorent Obuya and John Gitahi Nderitu, were freed and given to Kenyan authorities in Dar es Salaam.

According to the High Commission, they were released following the long struggle of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs in collaboration with the Tanzanian authorities. H.E. Ambassador Isaac Njenga of the High Commission received two Kenyans who had been arrested in Tanzania after the October 29, 2025, protest during the General Elections. According to part of the release, the lawyer Fredrick Lorent Obuya and financial professional Mr. John Gitahi Nderitu were freed without charges and sent into custody by the Kenyan High Commission in Dar es Salaam.

The Commission also reported that the two thanked the Kenyan mission for making a timely intervention, and they anticipated joining their families in Kenya after the experience.

As it was reported, Obuya was arrested in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on October 31, 2025.

He was reportedly picked up along the Oyster Bay Police Station as he was on his way to Zanzibar to attend a work-related event. His detention rapidly spread in social media, with Kenyans and various human rights groups demanding his release immediately on the grounds of arbitrary arrest and due process.

This event occurred during an increased tension in Tanzania after the general elections that were held on October 29, whereby there were isolated cases of protest in the major cities, including Dar es Salaam and Dodoma.

The government had also initiated a crackdown campaign against perceived protesters and foreigners who were believed to have been involved in political issues, and as a result, a number of them had been arrested.

After the arrest of Obuya in Tanzania, the Kenyan High Commission in Tanzania used the help of Tanzanian authorities at the time to find his location and release him.

Obuya and Nderitu were later released and cleared of any crime after several days of diplomatic talks.

The Kenyan government praised the Tanzanian government for collaborating in solving the issue amicably and reiterated its intentions of defending the rights of Kenyan citizens in other countries.

The two Kenyans are released only days after another similar case in which two other Kenyans, human rights activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, had disappeared in Uganda.

In October, Njagi and Oyoo were arrested by Ugandan security agents during their involvement in campaign activities of an opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine.

The disappearance of the activists had caused much concern among the Kenyan civil societies, who claimed that the Ugandan government was infringing on their rights.

Following weeks of diplomacy, the two were freed on Friday and handed over to the Kenyan High Commission in Kampala.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing 0ei acknowledged that they were released and commended the Kenyan mission in Uganda due to the tireless efforts it made in tracking down the activists.

Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo are in the freedom territory of Kenya. The two were set free late last night after having undergone long interactions with our High Commissioner in Uganda, Joash Maangi.

The Ambassador and the Uganda government officials took them to Busia border town, where they were met by Busia County Commissioner, Chaunga Mwachuanga,” said Sing’Oei.He also promised the citizens that the government would be closely watching such cases and update them when Kenyan citizens encounter difficulties in foreign countries.

The two cases have attracted the focus of the increasing cases of Kenyan nationals who have been arrested or detained in other countries on ambiguous grounds.

The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has reaffirmed that it is still dedicated to ensuring the well-being of the Kenyans residing or working abroad and that diplomatic ideas are always available to handle such issues promptly and in a manner of honor.

By Saturday, the two sets of Kenyans, the ones of Tanzania and Uganda, were safe and were supposed to have a reunion with their families.

The Ministry has actually appreciated the hard work of respective High Commissions and has reiterated the commitment of Kenya to protect the rights and dignity of its people, regardless of their whereabouts.