Mutukula, Uganda: Veteran Ugandan journalist and human rights activist Agather Atuhaire has been found abandoned at the Mutukula border, days after she was held incommunicado in Dar es Salaam under unclear circumstances.
Atuhaire, who leads the civic engagement platform Agora Discourse, was reportedly dropped off at the Uganda-Tanzania border late Thursday night by Tanzanian security authorities, without any formal deportation notice or consular coordination.
She was discovered in a visibly distressed physical condition, with associates alleging she endured torture during her detention. “She was beaten, particularly on the feet with blunt objects,” one associate told DailyExpress on Friday morning, noting that she currently suffers from severely swollen legs.
Atuhaire is now receiving care from friends and relatives as arrangements are made for her safe return to Kampala.
The outspoken activist had been missing since early this week following her arrest in Dar es Salaam, prompting an outcry from civil society actors across East Africa and pressure on Ugandan and Kenyan diplomats to locate and secure the activist’s release.
Tanzanian authorities had earlier informed Ugandan diplomats of her deportation, along with Kenyan national Boniface Mwangi, who was arrested in the same week. However, confusion remained about her whereabouts until her discovery at Mutukula.
“We were told she had been handed over to Ugandan authorities, but we had no confirmation until now,” a Ugandan diplomat in Tanzania said. “We continue to engage with our counterparts to get clarity.”
In a statement issued on Friday, Agora Discourse confirmed her release, stating: “We are relieved to inform the public that Agather Atuhaire has been found. She was abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities. Further details will be shared later today. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stood in solidarity during this time. Your efforts truly made a difference.”
The illegal detention and torture of Atuhaire and Mwangi has reignited concerns about the shrinking civic space in the East African region. On X (formerly Twitter), activists and journalists from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania condemned the arrests, citing a pattern of state harassment and repression targeting outspoken human rights defenders.
In Kenya, public pressure forced Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to intervene, writing to Tanzanian authorities to grant access to Mwangi, who had also been detained without communication since Monday.
In Uganda, the High Commissioner to Tanzania, Col (Rtd) Fred Mwesigye, formally wrote to the Tanzanian Police demanding information about Atuhaire’s detention and requesting consular access.
“Ms Agather reportedly came to the United Republic of Tanzania on different engagements but later got arrested and detained at the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam,” the letter read. “This is therefore, to request for information… and permission for the mission staff to visit and talk to her, and ascertain the possibility of her release and return to Uganda.”
Uganda’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon Okello Oryem, speaking to DailyExpress, urged calm: “The embassy is following this matter, and so instead of people getting excited and blowing it out of proportion, give diplomacy a chance to work… She went there willingly.”
Atuhaire is a seasoned lawyer and journalist with more than a decade of experience reporting on governance, accountability, oil and gas, and parliamentary affairs. She has contributed to outlets including The Independent, Daily Monitor, BBC, Uganda Radio Network, and National Geographic. She also regularly appears on NTV, NBS TV, and previously hosted a show on Civic Space TV.
She is a recipient of the famed EU Human Rights Defenders Award, which she won in 2023.
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