'I HAVE BEEN SAVED': KIDNAPPED TANZANIAN ACTIVIST FOUND HOURS LATER

Prominent Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai who was abducted by armed men in Kenya said she has been released, hours after the incident.

Amnesty International Kenya spokesperson Roland Ebole told the BBC she was "forced" into a vehicle in the capital Nairobi on Sunday afternoon.

But Ms Tsehai was released hours later. She shared a video to her 1.3 million followers on X, appearing visibly shaken and emotional, but said: "I have been saved."

Ms Tsehai is a staunch critic of Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and has accused her government of bringing "tyranny back" to the country.

The Law Society of Kenya president, Faith Odhiambo, said on X they had managed to arrange her release.

"We are sending a warning. We will not allow our country to be used as a haven for picking up individuals," she said at an evening press conference.

Neither Kenyan nor Tanzanian officials have commented.

Ms Tsehai is a fierce advocate for land rights and freedom of expression in Tanzania.

There have been concerns that Tanzania could be returning to the repressive rule of late President Magufuli, despite his successor Samia lifting a ban on opposition gatherings and promising to restore competitive politics.

Last year, dozens of opposition were arrested and some were brutally killed. One senior opposition leader died after being doused in acid. [BBC News]