Sifuna to Ruto: Kick out Tanzania leaders after activists' torture claims

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna. [File, Standard] Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has urged President William Ruto to take retaliatory action against Tanzania, including banning its ruling party leaders from Kenya and withdrawing from the joint hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (CAF) tournament. Sifuna's statement comes a day after activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan human rights lawyer Agather Atuhaire shared chilling details of their alleged abduction, torture and deportation by Tanzanian authorities - a harrowing ordeal that has drawn condemnation from across the region. Speaking in Nairobi a week after returning from Tanzania, Mwangi recounted a terrifying experience that began with their arrest while attending court proceedings for Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. "They did very terrible things to me and Agather. Whatever they did was recorded, and they said they would release the footage once we returned home," said Mwangi. The former photojournalist accused the Kenyan government of abandoning him and instead siding with Tanzanian authorities. He said the pair had travelled to Tanzania in solidarity with Lissu but were denied access to court and later seized under unclear circumstances. Atuhaire, speaking emotionally during the press briefing, said she was abducted by five men and one woman, forced into a dark vehicle, blindfolded and taken to an unknown location. "I almost sat on guns... I thought it was over," said Atuhaire. Mwangi said he was also blindfolded and bundled into a vehicle at dawn on Thursday, later dumped at the Horohoro border with 20,000 Tanzanian shillings (about Sh400) and no explanation. "There was a boda boda rider waiting for me. They told me to lie down after dropping me at the border, and the rider then drove me to the Kenya-Tanzania crossing," he said. Atuhaire said she was abandoned at the Uganda-Tanzania border in the dead of night. Though now back with her family, she described being physically and emotionally shaken. "The car was already tinted, but they still thought to add blindfolds. I was sandwiched between two people," said Atuhaire. "I knew they would come for me eventually, but I didn't think it would be in Tanzania." In a post on X on Tuesday, Sifuna demanded that the government ban the leadership of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Tanzania's ruling party, from visiting Kenya. He also called on the Ruto administration to relocate the annual East Africa Law Society (EALS) conference from Zanzibar. The event, which draws over 800 legal professionals from across the region, is scheduled to take place later this year. Sifuna further said Kenya must withdraw from the joint CAF 2027 tournament hosting arrangement with Uganda and Tanzania, describing the two countries as "dictatorships." His final demand was that Ruto retract the apology he made during the National Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, May 28, where the president asked for forgiveness from Kenya's neighbours over any unresolved disputes. "Our neighbours from Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, forgive us. Our friends from Uganda, if there is anything that Kenyans have done that is not right, we want to apologise," Ruto said. "That fake apology must be withdrawn," said Sifuna. "Instead, we should be demanding one." Human rights groups have joined calls for action. Amnesty International Executive Director Houghton Irungu said the Kenyan and Ugandan parliaments must demand accountability from their respective foreign ministries. "We are not prejudicially arguing that they have done anything wrong, but they need to tell the national assemblies what they did to keep Boniface and Agather safe and secondly, what action they will take following the horrendous actions we heard yesterday," said Irungu.

Sifuna to Ruto: Kick out Tanzania leaders after activists' torture claims

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