Premium
Abducted activist Agather Atuhaire 'dumped' at Ugandan border after ordeal in Tanzania
Activist Agather Atuhaire.
What you need to know:
- Ugandan human rights defender and journalist Agather Atuhaire was abducted in Tanzania alongside Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi.
- Mwangi reported being severely tortured during their detention, raising grave concerns for Atuhaire's safety. Although Tanzanian authorities had informed Ugandan diplomats of their deportation, Atuhaire's whereabouts remained uncertain for some time.
- The arrests sparked widespread alarm among human rights organisations and activists in the region.
Ugandan human rights defender, journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire, who was abducted in Tanzania together with Kenya’s Boniface Mwangi, was Thursday evening dumped near Uganda's Mutukula Border at night, her family and lawyers have confirmed.
Human rights activist Nicholas Opiyo also confirmed he has talked to her.
“Agather is on her way home. She was dumped at the Mutukula Boda last night - we spoke a little while ago,” he said.
Ms Atuhaire, an activist with Agora Discourse, was arrested alongside Kenyan photojournalist/activist Mwangi, after their presence in Tanzania was queried. The two were in the country to attend the trial of leading Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Mughwai Lissu.
Mr Mwangi was yesterday dumped by Tanzanian authorities at the Indian Ocean coastal town of Ukunda, south of Mombasa. He reported being in pain as a result of torture by Tanzanian security personnel and expressed concern about the fate of Ms Atuhaire, whose whereabouts had remained unknown.
“I have gone through four dark days, I have been tortured very badly, I can barely walk, but I am very concerned about Agather because we were tortured together and they did very horrible things to us,” Mr Mwangi told journalists.
Ugandan diplomats in Tanzania told this publication last evening that Tanzanian authorities had notified them of deporting both Mr Mwangi and Ms Atuhaire.
“They (Tanzanians) told us they handed over Ms Atuhaire to Ugandan authorities at the same time they handed over her Kenyan colleague. That is what we know so far, but we continue engaging,” one diplomat indicated.
However, questions continued swirling regarding her whereabouts.
In a May 23, 2025, brief statement, Agora Discourse, a digital public square promoting human rights, public accountability and social justice, said she had been freed and dumped at the Tanzanian-Ugandan border.
"We are relieved to inform the public that Agather Atuhaire has been found. She was abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities. Further details will be shared later today. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stood in solidarity during this time. Your efforts truly made a difference," the statement reads.
Activist Boniface Mwangi is reunited with his family.
The arrest of the two activists elicited widespread concern on the microblogging site, X, over the security of activists in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, where they are routinely harassed by security, arrested, and in worst-case scenarios, killed.
In Tanzania, the arrest of Ms Atuhaire and Mr Mwangi dramatically escalated attention to the trial of Mr Lissu, while in Kenya, activists piled pressure on the William Ruto administration to rescue its national. Consequently, Kenya’s Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi wrote to Tanzanian authorities to allow their diplomats access to Mr Mwangi, who had not been seen since his arrest on Monday.
Yesterday, the Ugandan High Commissioner to Tanzania, Col (Rtd) Fred Mwesigye, also wrote to Tanzanian police authorities demanding information on Ms Atuhaire’s whereabouts.
“Ms Agather reportedly came to the United Republic of Tanzania on different engagements but later got arrested and detained at the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam, he wrote. Adding: “This is therefore, to request information on the above-mentioned Ugandan National in Detention at your facility and permission for the mission staff to visit and talk to her, and ascertain the possibility of her release and return to Uganda.”
The State Minister for International Relations, Mr Okello Oryem, told Daily Monitor separately that they are following up on the matter.
“The embassy is following this matter, and so instead of people getting excited and blowing it out of proportion, give opportunity for diplomacy to take its course, but people turn the whole issue into a big circus by getting to the press, yet things can be resolved without involving the press. She went there willingly, therefore, you should give diplomacy a chance to work,” he said.
Advocates Martha Karua, Gloria Kimani and Lyn Ngugi at Julius Nyerere International Airport blocked from entering Tanzania.
Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua indicated yesterday she had written to, among others, the African Union, East African Community, and international partners to compel the Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu’s government to immediately release the two activists.
About Atuhaire
According to Agora Centre for Research, where Ms Agather Atuhaire is the executive team leader, she is a distinguished lawyer and journalist with over 11 years of experience. Her journalism focuses on parliamentary processes, multi-party democracy, and oil and gas.
She has contributed to media outlets like The Independent magazine, Daily Monitor, Uganda Radio Network, BBC, and National Geographic.
Ms Atuhaire frequently appears on NTV and NBS TV talk shows and has hosted a show on Civic Space TV. With several followers on X, formerly Twitter, she is known for her impactful reporting on governance and accountability.
Her work focuses on governance and social justice in Uganda and has led significant social justice causes and Campaigns.
Additional reporting Hilary Kimuyu