This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
July 2, 2019, marked seven days since Kenyan citizen Raphael Ongangi was kidnapped by unknown abductors. His family is now pleading with Tanzanian President John Magufuli to intervene and speed up investigations.
Speaking to The Citizen on Tuesday, Ongangi's wife, Veronica Kundya, expressed her gratitude towards the police for working on the matter. She receives daily phone calls from the Tanzanian authorities and the Kenyan embassy, which gives her hope.
However, Kundya believes that President Magufuli's intervention could be effective in locating her husband, who was kidnapped in her presence. Despite the ongoing investigation, she hopes that the President's involvement will speed up the search.
Joining Kundya's plea, Kigoma Member of Parliament Zitto Kabwe urged the Tanzanian government to work on the issue, citing its negative impact on the country's image. He emphasized the need for speedy and effective actions to surmount such incidents.
“Governments know how to negotiate with each other. Today, we will hand over to the Kenyan government a document showing how and where Raphael was kidnapped and taken to. The Kenyan government will see how best to save their citizen. We also ask the international community to strongly criticize the ongoing activities in Tanzania,” Kabwe said.
