By Spy Uganda
A Ugandan activist has alleged she was raped while in detention in Tanzania, where she and a Kenyan colleague were arrested and held incommunicado for several days.
Agather Atuhaire, a prominent human rights defender, expanded on earlier reports by her organization indicating that she exhibited “indications of torture.” In an interview, Atuhaire said she was “blindfolded” by individuals in plain clothes, “violently” stripped, and sexually assaulted while in custody.
Atuhaire had been detained in Tanzania along with Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi. Both were later found abandoned at the border—Mwangi near the Kenyan side and Atuhaire on the Uganda-Tanzania frontier.
The Tanzanian authorities have yet to comment on the allegations.
Regional human rights organizations have called for an immediate and thorough investigation, while the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed “deep concern” over the reports of mistreatment.
“The pain was too much,” Atuhaire told journalists, displaying a scar on her wrist she said was caused by tight handcuffs. “I was screaming so hard they had to cover my mouth.”
Atuhaire also recounted hearing Mwangi’s screams and said his captors threatened to circumcise him.
The pair had traveled to Tanzania to show solidarity with opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court on Monday on treason charges. Despite being permitted entry into Tanzania, they were barred from attending the hearing and subsequently detained.
Mwangi described their ordeal in a social media post: “We had been tortured, and they ordered us to strip naked and crawl to wash off the blood.”
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan had warned on Monday that foreign activists would not be allowed to “meddle” in the country’s affairs or “cause chaos.”
Atuhaire was found at the border on Thursday night, after reportedly being held since Monday. Uganda’s high commissioner to Tanzania, Fred Mwesigye, confirmed that she had “safely returned home” and was “warmly received by her family.”
Mwangi, who was discovered earlier in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border, said he had heard Atuhaire “groaning in pain” when they were detained together.
“Any attempt to speak to each other during the night we were tortured was met with kicks and insults,” Mwangi said. “We were eventually taken away in separate vehicles.”
He added that their captors appeared to be receiving orders from a “state security” official, who allegedly directed them to give the activists “a Tanzanian treatment.”
Mwangi’s disappearance sparked nationwide protests in Kenya, with his family and civil society groups demanding his release. On Wednesday, the Kenyan government formally protested his detention and accused Tanzania of repeatedly denying consular access.
Kenya’s foreign affairs ministry issued a statement on Thursday saying it had not been able to reach Mwangi during his detention.
Regional rights groups have called on Tanzania to uphold its human rights obligations under regional and international treaties. The US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs also weighed in, emphasizing that Atuhaire had been recognized by the department in 2024 as an International Women of Courage Awardee.
“We call for an immediate and full investigation into the allegations of human rights abuses. We urge all countries in the region to hold accountable those responsible for violating human rights, including torture,” the bureau said in a statement.
