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The making of a rebel: Maria Sarungi story
Maria Sarungi Tsehai
What you need to know:
- A daughter of a prominent medical professor and former Cabinet minister in the Ali Hassan Mwinyi government, Ms Sarungi has never openly aligned herself with any political party.
Nairobi/Dar. Just a week ago, on January 12, the activist was abducted in Nairobi, sparking fresh concerns about freedom of expression in her home country as it enters another electioneering season.
In an interview with The EastAfrican, Ms Sarungi traced her steady metamorphosis from a communications student at ELTE University in Hungary to a media figure and social media influencer in Tanzania, which led to her being targeted by state operatives and eventually fleeing to Kenya in 2020.
Born as the youngest of four children in a family deeply rooted in science and medicine, Ms Sarungi is the only one with an arts inclination.
Her father and two siblings are doctors, while one sister teaches mathematics and computer science.
She chose a journalism career, starting with internships at various media outlets, including WUSA Channel 9, CBS in Washington DC, and TV3 in Hungary, where she became the first person of colour to report onscreen in 1999.
Upon returning to Tanzania in 2000, she and her husband David Tsehai founded Kwanza TV, which operated until 2019, when it was shut down for six months by the government under restrictive online content regulations.
The closure followed a controversial report involving a case of identity similarity between Bishop Josephat Gwajima and Dr Dorothy Gwajima, the then deputy Permanent Secretary for Health (DPSH) in the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government Authority (PO-RALG).
In 2020, the government of President John Magufuli closed it for contradicting his stance on Covid-19.
Ms Sarungi and her colleague, former president of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), Ms Fatma Karume, continued their activism, hosting shows that highlighted cracks in the governance system.
They also used their social media platform, #ChangeTanzania, to advocate press freedom and human rights.
But after receiving credible information of her imminent arrest Ms Sarungi and her husband decided to relocate to Kenya, where they found a safer environment for independent media and activism.
From her base in Kenya, Ms Sarungi remained a thorn in the side of both Magufuli’s and his successor Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administrations, frequently criticising them on issues related to governance, civil rights, and democratic reforms.
A daughter of a prominent medical professor and former Cabinet minister in the Ali Hassan Mwinyi government, Ms Sarungi has never openly aligned herself with any political party.
Instead, she has used her online campaigns to advocate action against governance failures and to host critical public discussions on issues as they arise.
Her unwavering commitment to these causes has led to constant friction with the ruling establishment, which now views her as a significant headache, perhaps more so than the main opposition party Chadema.
In the weeks leading up to her abduction, Ms Sarungi had posted a series of posts on X alleging underhand dealings by members of President Samia’s inner circle about the reported purchase of a new presidential jet.
Government authorities have not confirmed or denied the report. Ms Sarungi has been at the forefront of criticising the alleged deal. Hours after making the post on January 12, she was abducted.
"The government isolates and intimidates those associated with movements like ours," she told The EastAfrican.
She says Tanzania could learn from Kenya, particularly its vibrant civil society, robust citizen engagement in politics, and championing the rule of law.
"Many Tanzanians are inspired by Kenya's progress, especially during the 2022 election, and are now pushing for a new constitution in Tanzania," she said.
She also believes that the upcoming October election will be a pivotal moment, with opposition party Chadema engaged in a leadership contest between Chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu.
Mr Lissu’s leadership is seen as a serious threat to the ruling CCM party, as he enjoys strong support from reformists, activists, and the international community.
While many people were left horrified by her abduction, Ms Sarungi sees herself as one of the lucky few who survived and returned to tell their story.
She highlighted the numerous cases of enforced disappearances in Tanzania, including activists Deusdedith Soka, Jacob Godwin Mlay, Frank Mbise that happened in August 2024.
A month earlier, Dioniz Kipanya, a Chadema party official, also went missing under mysterious circumstances.
She also shared the story of Edgar Mwakabela, known as Sativa, who was abducted, tortured, and left for dead but survived, only to flee the country after implicating those responsible for his ordeal.
Ms Sarungi began documenting these cases at the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances last September.
She says she had a hunch something would happen. This is especially after a government ally known for attacking its critics posted a video suggesting that she and journalist Eric Kabendera should be "dealt with" and dragged back to Tanzania.
“The government doesn't directly speak about what it will do to critics but uses its 'attack dogs'. Often, when he speaks, it signals what the government is planning. He said I should be abducted, and we all know what followed," she said.
Ms Sarungi rues the lack of oversight bodies in Tanzania, a situation she believes hinders efforts to address human rights abuses and hold officials accountable for enforced disappearances.
She cites Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority as an example of how such bodies can help enforce compliance and protect citizens.
While her abductors appeared to be Kenyan, she believes they were working with others from Tanzania to send her back to face retribution for her whistleblowing on social media. Despite this, she has vowed to continue her activism.
Her abduction has added to growing concerns across the region that Kenya is no longer a haven for critics of other governments.
Ms Sarungi is part of a trio of female social media activists who have gained prominence for their efforts to challenge President Samia’s administration ahead of the general election.
The other two are Ms Karume, whose father is a former president of Zanzibar, and Mange Kimambi, based in the US.
On January 1, the East Africa Law Society (EALS) called for an end to abductions, enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings in the region after Kenya recorded at least 82 cases of abductions since the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests in June 2024.
The EALS said these crimes are primarily targeted at government critics, political activists, journalists, demonstrators, and young people protesting against misrule.
Through a statement signed by the leaders of the Law Societies in the member states of the East African Community - Kenya, Tanzania (Tanganyika), Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Rwanda, Zanzibar, and South Sudan - the advocates strongly condemned the worrying trend saying they only exacerbate the problems being pointed out by civilians.
In Tanzania, the lobby highlighted the murders of opposition figures such as Ali Kibao, the abduction of Aisha Machano, a senior official of an opposition party, the disappearance of Deusdedith Soka and three others, waves of the arrest of young people planning to celebrate the International Youth Day and acid attacks on political activists as testament of rising political intolerance in the country.
For Uganda, human rights abuses majorly targeting political opposition and government have increased, EALS noted.
“Torture remains endemic in the country (Uganda). Reports indicate that individuals are detained in illegal “safe houses” and subjected to brutal treatment. Enforced disappearances continue to be used as a tool of political repression,” the advocates said.
The lawyers' lobby highlighted the abduction of Uganda’s opposition leader, Dr Kizza Besigye, in Nairobi last November and his arraignment in a court martial in Uganda.
This incident, EALS said, has raised concerns about the emergence of cross-border abductions and the broader implications for dissents and the political opposition including those seeking refuge in other countries in the region.
“The continued pattern of abductions, enforced disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings across the region directly contravene the fundamental principles of the East African Community as provided for under Article 6 of the Treaty Establishing the Community,” EALS stated.
