People’s Liberation Party (PLP) party leader Martha Karua has urged Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu to take action against the police chief accused of torturing and abusing Kenyan activist Boniface Mwnagi and his Ugandan counterpart Agather Atuhaire.
Taking to her official X account on Sunday, May 254, 2025, Karua addressed Suluhu, seeking to know the action her administration has taken against Faustine Jackson Mafwele, a notable figure in Tanzania, known for his role within the Tanzanian Police Force, where he holds the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
Karua, who also fell victim to the actions the Tanzanian government took last week against foreign activists who arrived in the East African country to observe the case involving the opposition figure Tundu Lissu, accused Mafwele of torture and rape in the case involving Mwangi and Atuhaire.
“Good morning, Mheshimiwa Rais wa Jamuhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania @SuluhuSamia. Ninakuomba kwa unyenyekevu kufahamu ni hatua gani wewe na serikali yako mmechukua dhidi ya mtuhumiwa mkuu ACP Mafwele wa @tanpol kwa mateso na ubakaji katika kesi inayomhusu Agatha Atuhaire @AAgather na Boniface Mwangi (loosely translated to, Good morning, Hon President of the United Republic of Tanzania Samia Suluhu. I humbly ask to know what action you and your government have taken against the prime suspect ACP Mafwele of the Tanzanian Police for the torture and rape in the case involving Agather Atuhaire and Boniface Mwangi),” Karua wrote on X.
Arrest of Tanzanian officers
Karua’s remarks come hours after Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid called on the Tanzanian government to arrest officers involved in the abduction of Atuhaire and Mwangi, warning of international consequences if action is not taken swiftly.
Speaking during a media interview on May 24, 2025, Khalid revealed that his organisation had submitted formal complaints to both the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, urging the two international bodies to pressure Tanzanian authorities to respond to the reported human rights violations.
Mwangi and Agather, who were released and deported on May 22 and 23, 2025, respectively, have since shared disturbing accounts of their ordeal.
Mwangi reported enduring brutal torture at the hands of Tanzanian authorities.
“I have gone through four dark days; I have been tortured very badly. I can barely walk,” Mwangi recounted.
In a statement on Saturday, May 24, 2025, Agather, who was dumped near the Ugandan border at Mutukula, recounted the traumatic moment of their abduction.
“Good people, I have no words to thank you for your support, concern, and love. I am not okay, but what a relief to be alive and back home! I still can’t believe Boniface Mwangi and I made it out alive,” she remarked.
Karua-Suluhu spat
Karua had earlier taken on Suluhu following her remarks warning foreign activists against interfering in Tanzania’s internal affairs after she was deported.
In a statement shared on her official X account on the night of Monday, May 19, 2025, Karua defended her brief visit to Tanzania, saying she and her colleagues did not violate any laws.
She also decried unlawful detention before deportation.
“Hatukuvamia nchi ya Tanzania, @SuluhuSamia. Tulikunja kihalali kama wanajumuiya, tukazuiliwa kinyume cha mkataba wa @jumuiya na kufurushwa inje,” Karuastated while defending their visit to Tanzania.
Loosely translated as: “We did not invade Tanzania, @SuluhuSamia. We entered legally as members of the East African Community; we were unlawfully detained and deported in violation of the community’s treaty.”
Samia, while addressing a public gathering during the launch of the new foreign policy (2024) held at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre (JNICC), warned foreign activists against meddling in Tanzania’s internal politics.
Though she did not name individuals, her remarks came shortly after the incident involving Karua and other regional figures. She emphasised that Tanzania is among the few countries that are filled with peace and stability.
“Tumeanza kuona mwenendo wa wanaharakati kuvamia mambo yetu huku. Kama kwao wameshadhibitiwa, wasije kutuharibia huku. Nchi iliyobaki haijaharibika; ni yetu, tusitoe nafasi kwa watovu wa adabu kutoka nchi nyingine kuja kuvuruga hapa,” Suluhu said.
Loosely translated as: “We have started to see the behaviour of activists invading our affairs here. If they have been controlled, they should not come and destroy us here. The country that remains unspoiled is ours, so we do not give room to immoral people from other countries to come and disrupt here.”
