A 29-year-old Kenyan national, Fredrick Lorent Obuya, has been reported missing in Tanzania after he was allegedly arrested by police in Dar es Salaam on October 31, sparking concern among human rights groups and his family.
Obuya, a lawyer and tour company owner, was reportedly on a business trip to Zanzibar when he was detained. According to VOCAL Africa CEO and activist Hussein Khalid, Obuya was last seen at Oyster Bay Police Station in Dar es Salaam before all communication with him was lost.
“As we continue to follow up on the Tanzania post-election violence, VOCAL Africa has received the case of a Kenyan, Fredrick Lorent Obuya, who was arrested in Dar es Salaam on October 31,” Khalid said in a statement. “Fredrick, aged 29, is a lawyer and runs a tour company. According to his friends, he was on his way to Zanzibar on a work-related trip when he was arrested. His last known location was Oyster Bay Police Station.”
The report comes amid growing unease over the safety of foreigners in Tanzania, where post-election violence has gripped several regions following the contentious October 29 general election. Human rights observers report widespread unrest, with hundreds feared dead, though exact figures remain unclear due to limited media access and internet disruptions.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was declared the winner of the disputed election, has dismissed reports that Tanzanians were behind the protests, claiming that foreign infiltrators were responsible for the chaos. However, rights groups and activists have challenged the statement, insisting that the violence has primarily targeted civilians.
Reports suggest that several Kenyans may have been caught up in the unrest. One confirmed casualty, John Okoth Ogutu, a teacher who had been working in Tanzania for eight years, was killed in Ubungo, Dar es Salaam, on election day.
Speaking to the media on November 4, Ogutu’s sister appealed to the Kenyan government to help repatriate her brother’s remains. Her plea was echoed by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who on November 5 wrote to Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, urging him to intervene and ensure a transparent investigation into Ogutu’s death.
As the situation in Tanzania remains tense, Obuya’s family continues to call on the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene urgently and establish his whereabouts. His disappearance has raised broader questions about the safety of Kenyan citizens working and traveling in neighboring countries amid periods of political instability.
