Two Kenyans still held in Tanzania after election violence - Mudavadi reveals

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has disclosed that two Kenyans are still in the custody of Tanzanian authorities following the unrest that broke out after the October 29th General Election.

Speaking before the National Assembly during a Question-and-Answer session on Wednesday, CS Mudavadi confirmed that all other detained Kenyans had been released after the government's intervention.

Mudavadi added that the government is working to provide the necessary assistance to secure their release. 

Further, the CS noted that the protests did not have a major impact on Kenyan businesses within Tanzania. 

Mudavadi also issued an update on the body of Kenyan teacher John Ogutu, who was reportedly killed during the protests. 

He noted that the body is yet to be traced, prompting him to write two letters to his Tanzanian counterpart.

The Prime CS added that efforts to look for the body in government hospitals and mortuaries in Tanzania have borne no fruit. 

"To date, and based on the information received from the Kenyan missions in Arusha and Dar es Salaam, there has been one confirmed death of a Kenyan national linked to the unrest surrounding 29th October 2025," Mudavadi remarked. 

"The deceased, Mr. John Ogutu, a Kenyan teacher at Sky School in Kinondoni District, was shot dead on 29th October 2025 at approximately 7p.m."

Mudavadi revealed that official records indicated an estimated 5,503 Kenyans residing in Tanzania, signalling the growth of labour mobility between the two nations. 

The unrest in Tanzania following the elections attracted local and international attention over the human rights violations meted out on the protesters. 

According to court records, nearly 340 people were arrested and charged with treason during the protests. 

To mitigate the situation, Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan called for leniency on the charges and launched a commission inquiry into the killings. 

"Ninatambua kuwa vijana wengi waliokamatwa na kushtakiwa kwa makosa ya uhaini hawakujua wanachofanya," she stated in her first address to the 13th Parliament on November 14, 2025.

"Nikiwa mama na mlezi wa taifa hili naelekeza viwango vya sheria na haswa ofisi wa mkurugenzi wa mashataka kuangalia kiwango cha makosa yaliofanywa na vijana wetu. Kwa wale ambao wanaonekana walifuata mkumbo na hawakudhamiria kufanya uhalifu, wawafutie makosa yao."