Kenyan Activist Mwabili Mwagodi Detained at Border Over Interpol Alert

Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi has been transferred to Nairobi after spending two nights in police custody in Mombasa, amid concerns over a reported Interpol Red Notice linked to his passport.

Mwagodi was initially detained on Sunday at the Lunga Lunga Border Police Post while attempting to travel to Tanzania. Immigration officers reportedly blocked his departure, and he was later held overnight at Port Police Station in Mombasa. On Tuesday, he was transferred to Nairobi by detectives.

The activist has since detailed his experience in custody, stating that the Officer Commanding Station at Mombasa Port Police visited him at dawn for a welfare check. Mwagodi expressed concern about being handed over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), citing previous incidents involving other detainees.

Authorities have cited a Red Notice allegedly issued earlier this year, though Mwagodi has not been informed of any charges or the specific offence. He claims the notice was issued by a DCI officer from the Serious Crimes Unit at Mazingira House in Kiambu.

Civil society groups have condemned his detention, arguing that the authorities have not provided a clear legal basis for the arrest. Walid Sketty, another activist from Mombasa, confirmed Mwagodi’s detention and criticised the lack of transparency, noting that Mwagodi was on his way to Tanzania for employment-related matters when he was intercepted.

This incident follows Mwagodi’s disappearance in July 2025, when he was reportedly abducted in Tanzania and later found abandoned in Kwale County after four days.