A Kenyan man has gone missing in Tanzania days after he was allegedly arrested by police officers on October 31, raising concerns among human rights activists and his family.
According to reports, the missing man has been identified as 29-year-old Fredrick Lorent Obuya, a lawyer and businessman who owns a tour company.
Activist and VOCAL Africa CEO, Hussein Khalid, confirmed the case, saying Obuya was arrested in Dar es Salaam while travelling for work to Zanzibar.
“VOCAL Africa has received a disturbing report involving a Kenyan citizen, Fredrick Lorent Obuya, who was allegedly arrested in Dar es Salaam on October 31, 2025,” said Khalid. “Fredrick is a 29-year-old lawyer and entrepreneur who runs a tour company.
His friends said he was heading to Zanzibar for a business trip when police detained him. His last known location was Oyster Bay Police Station in Dar es Salaam.”
Family members have expressed deep worry since Obuya’s whereabouts remain unknown. They have called on both Kenyan and Tanzanian authorities to urgently investigate the matter and ensure his safe release.
This incident comes amid growing tension in Tanzania following the post-election violence that erupted after the contentious national elections held on October 29.
Reports indicate that hundreds of Tanzanians may have lost their lives in the chaos, though journalists and human rights groups say it has been difficult to confirm the exact number of casualties due to restricted access and threats to media workers.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has denied that Tanzanians were behind the violent protests, claiming instead that foreign nationals had crossed into the country and were fueling the unrest.
So far, at least two Kenyans are believed to have been affected by the violence. Apart from Obuya, the only other confirmed case involves John Okoth Ogutu, a Kenyan teacher who was reportedly killed in Ubungo, Dar es Salaam, on election day, October 29. Ogutu had been teaching in Tanzania for nearly eight years before he was tragically killed.
Speaking during a media interview on November 4, Ogutu’s sister appealed to President William Ruto’s government to help repatriate her brother’s body back to Kenya for burial.
The following day, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino wrote a formal letter to Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, urging the Kenyan government to take immediate action.
Owino asked Mudavadi to engage Tanzanian authorities and ensure a transparent investigation into Ogutu’s death while also seeking justice for the affected Kenyan families.
Human rights groups in both Kenya and Tanzania have since demanded accountability, urging authorities to protect foreign nationals and ensure that those arrested or killed during the unrest are given justice.
Many Kenyans living and working in Tanzania have also expressed fear, saying the political situation has made them feel unsafe.
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