How crackdown on critics in EA echoes 1980s push for multiparty democracy

The recent deportations, abductions and torture of human rights defenders in Tanzania mirror the 1980s struggle for political pluralism in Kenya, which culminated in the 1992 constitutional reforms that introduced multiparty democracy.

The incidents in Tanzania have sparked concerns over what many see as a coordinated effort by East African governments to suppress fundamental rights.

Leaders and human rights activists argue that the increasing occurrences of abductions of perceived government critics, alongside torture and enforced disappearances perpetrated by security agents, signal a worrying trend.

They fear that government security agents are arresting opponents while posing as criminals.

Human rights defenders noted that even during the dark days, security agents conducting arrests had the courtesy to identify themselves at police stations.

They highlighted the abduction of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye in Nairobi, as well as the deportation of People’s Liberation Party leader and former Justice minister Martha Karua and former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga from Tanzania, where they had travelled to attend the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu in a collaborative effort among the three East African states — Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Awaiting trial Besigye and Lissu, who are prominent opposition leaders, are currently imprisoned in their respective countries awaiting trial on treason charges.

A former detainee, Koigi wa Wamwere, remarked that recent events in the three countries indicate a deliberate attempt by the governments to reverse the democratic gains made in the region.

Koigi, who spent 13 years in jail during the Kanu era, stated that security agents and intelligence operatives in the region have been collaborating to stifle people’s fundamental rights.

He recalled his abduction from Busia town on the Kenya-Uganda border by Kenyan security agents collaborating with their Ugandan counterparts.

Koigi also mentioned being arrested in Tanzania by security operatives who attempted to hand him over to the Kenyan government.

“Tanzanian security agents later abandoned their scheme following intervention by the Norwegian government, which had offered me political asylum.,” Koigi added.

Reflecting on the current human rights situation in the region, Koigi asserted that Besigye’s arrest in a Nairobi hotel could not have occurred without the knowledge of Kenyan security agents.

Former Ndaragwa MP, Mwangi Gichuki, who was arrested during the peak of the clamour for multiparty democracy, shared his experience of being taken to Nyayo House during the Kanu era for allegedly being a member of Mwakenya, an underground movement plotting to topple the government.

Gichuki noted that security officers had the courtesy to introduce themselves when they arrested him at work and booked him at Menengai Police Station before taking him to Nairobi for interrogation.

“In Nairobi, I was booked at Pangani Police Station before being taken to Nyayo House, where I was held for several weeks before being released. Whenever I was interrogated and contested the allegations against me, police officers would conduct further investigations to verify my statements. Eventually, I was set free,” Gichuki recounted.

The former MP emphasised, “Today, we have security agents arresting people on the streets and other places while disguised as criminals.

They then hold these individuals incommunicado for several weeks. This is a worrying trend.”

Gichuki highlighted that the current administrations in the region are reversing the democratic gains made over the past two decades.

He expressed concern that over 60 youths arrested by security agents during last year’s Gen Z uprising are still missing.

Unknown places

“It is illegal and unlawful for government security agents to arrest suspects while hooded and then continue to hold them in unknown places for days or months,” he said.

For his part, Koigi added that the three East African countries have collaborated for many years to silence perceived government critics.

He cited the arrest of several Kenyans in Tanzania following the failed 1982 coup, who were then handed over to Kenyan authorities in exchange for some Tanzanians who attempted to overthrow the Julius Nyerere government.

Among those arrested and handed over to Kenyan authorities was Senior Private Hezekiah Ochuka, the alleged mastermind of the 1982 coup, who was later charged and sentenced to death.

Koigi pointed out that Siaya Governor James Orengo and former Nakuru North MP Kihika Kimani were also among the Kenyans arrested by Tanzanian authorities and handed over to the Kenyan government.

“What we are witnessing today, where Besigye was arrested in a Kenyan hotel and later charged in Uganda, is a continuation of the collaboration among East African dictators to strengthen their regimes,” Koigi stated.

He expressed concern over the current situation in Kenya, where government agents are holding suspects in undisclosed locations.

Koigi, who is ranked among the most prominent opposition leaders in the country, mentioned that he had been detained in at least 15 different police stations.

“Not a single time was I held in an undisclosed location, unlike now, where people are kept incommunicado for months before being released without any indication of where they were,” he added.

Koigi noted that the Kenyan government did not inform the public when the deportation of Karua and Dr Mutunga from Tanzania was announced, indicating a lack of transparency.

Treason trial

He also mentioned that Karua served as his lawyer during his treason trial.

Karua was also barred from representing Besigye, who was abducted while travelling to attend the launch of her book.

Nakuru-based human rights activist David Kuria, alias Western, who has worked in collaboration with the Independent Medical Legal Unit, expressed concern over the ongoing disappearances of suspects at the hands of security agents.

“We are witnessing a rise in grave human rights abuses by security agents, even more than during the Kanu era,” he stated.

He also mentioned that the government has been using armed goons to disrupt rallies organised by opposition leaders.

“We now have over ten cases of youths in Nakuru who have disappeared after being apprehended by security officers for allegedly engaging in illegal fishing in Lake Nakuru.

Four other boys were shot by Kenya Wildlife Service personnel in the Mwariki area,” Kuria said.

He stated that some youths had been killed by Kenya Forest Service guards in Kuresoi North, as well as in Kuresoi, Ebburu, and Elburgon forests.

Furthermore, he criticised Tanzanian authorities for barring Kenyan leaders from entering the country, arguing that this action undermines the East African protocol, which allows for the free movement of people and goods.

Justice Samuel Mohochi, a former High Court judge and human rights defender, faced deportation from Uganda on April 13, 2011.

Mohochi recounted his experience with Ugandan authorities while leading a delegation of human rights defenders in Uganda to meet the Ugandan Chief Justice. He was part of a 14-member delegation from the International Commission of Jurists.

Mohochi and three other Kenyans were deported back to Kenya.

Immigration officials argued that Uganda is not legally required to provide reasons for denying entry, and the judges affirmed Uganda’s sovereignty in enforcing its immigration laws.

Additional reporting by Yvonne Chepkwony