This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
On June 24, Kenyan businessman Raphael Ongangi was abducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, while driving home with his wife after visiting their daughter at a school.
According to reports, the abduction was linked to Ongangi's association with Zitto Kabwe, an outspoken critic of President John Pombe Magufuli, whom he once served as personal assistant.
On July 2, Ongangi arrived in Mombasa, where he was dumped near his aunt's shop, thoroughly shaken. He was immediately rushed to a hospital for observation.
During a media briefing in Tanzania on July 1, Kabwe claimed that Ongangi was being held by the government.
‘I have not been able to access my social media pages because I do so only using my devices, which were confiscated by detectives,’ Ongangi said in a statement.
‘I was surprised to see my pages active. The only other person who has access to the accounts is Mr Ongangi. It’s surprising that days after his abduction, my accounts are still active,’ Kabwe added.
On July 2, Ongangi left Dar es Salaam for the Lunga Lunga/Horohoro border point, where he was driven by a group of cars belonging to a special Tanzanian security unit.
However, the journey from Dar via the Lunga Lunga border can last anything between 12 and 14 hours.
The Tanzania government vehicles passed through the Tanzania/Kenya border without Ongangi having to produce any travel documents.
