Kenyans still seeking answers of kin missing after Dar polls chaos

Countless families are still in the dark on the whereabouts of the bodies of their kin following the violence that flared up during the general elections in Tanzania.

This comes as allegations of killings, disappearances, and excessive force by Tanzanian security agencies continue to circulate in the aftermath of the disputed 2025 elections. 

The claims, raised by activists, survivors, and relatives of missing persons, paint a picture of fear and uncertainty that has spread far beyond Tanzania’s borders. 

The testimonies being documented by civil society networks suggest a crisis whose impact is being felt most acutely by families searching for loved ones who never came home.

In Kenya, the anguish is profound with dozens of families confirming that their relatives vanished while traveling, studying or working in Tanzania during the unrest.

Many of the missing persons are traders, cross-border drivers or Kenyans living and working in Tanzania.

One case that has drawn regional attention is that of John Okoth Ogutu, a teacher from Kenya whose family believes he was killed in Dar es Salaam at the end of October.

Jenifer Ationo, Ogutu’s sister, says their mother has become suicidal following the son's death and that her only wish is for her to be given a chance to bury him.

“Our mom back home is very devastated. As a family we are asking the two governments of Kenya and Tanzania to work together and bring us our brothers body so that we can give him a decent send off and find closer,” said Atieno.

Benard Miranyi, also Ogutu's relative, accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of complicity, saying that despite Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi acknowledging and confirming that Agutu had indeed been killed in Tanzania, no action has been taken by the state to give full details of where his body is.

“We are very disappointed at how the Kenyan government is handling these cases, we have been to the Tanzanian embassy several times but we keep being turned away,” said Miranyi.

Activists claim his body was taken to Mwananyamala mortuary, where unverified videos appear to show overcrowded rooms filled with bodies.

"When colleagues went to follow up, they say they were told that only two bodies were present at the facility. The family is left with silence, uncertainty, and a grief made worse by the lack of official information," said Hussain Khalid from HAKI Africa.

Thousands of other Kenyan families tell similar stories.

Inside Tanzania, the claims are equally troubling. Activists say some families who located the bodies of loved ones encountered further trauma when funerals were disrupted by unidentified security personnel who allegedly removed caskets or confiscated bodies before burial rites could be completed.

Others report being forced to sign documents attributing deaths to unrelated causes before bodies could be released.

“There are also accounts of roadblocks, phone confiscations, and intimidation of health workers and relatives attempting to document injuries or seek information. In the absence of official explanations, such stories have fuelled widespread suspicion,” explained Khalid.

Against this backdrop, regional civil society groups are calling for President Samia Suluhu Hassan to step down, arguing that her administration has lost legitimacy in the eyes of many Tanzanians and East Africans.

They claim the government has failed to provide clarity on the whereabouts of the missing and accountability for those allegedly and anger.

At the same time, the activists are urging international judicial bodies, including the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, to open independent investigations into the situation.

“We have enough evidence from even before the elections, showimg that Suluhu has killed thousands of people and we are more that ready to present them to ICC for investigations,“ said Mwanase Ahmed from Jumuiya yetu.

The activists also alleged that over 1000 mercenaries from Uganda were shipped into Tanzania to cause havoc during the unrest.

The true extent of the crisis remains unclear, partly due to restricted internet access in parts of Tanzania, limited media freedom, and the difficulty independent investigators face gaining entry to affected areas.

As a result, families have been forced to rely on informal networks, civil society organizations, and word of mouth in their desperate search for answers.

This lack of clarity has deepened anxiety across the region, particularly among Kenyan families who fear that their relatives may be among the unaccounted for.

For now, families on both sides of the border continue to wait, to search, and to hope for truth.

In the absence of confirmation, they live with the unbearable weight of unanswered questions.

As Ogutu's sister searching for her brother put it, they are not asking for politics but for dignity, closure, and the basic human right to know what has happened to his brother.