Human rights organisations have condemned the killing of Kenyan teacher John Okoth Ogutu in Dar es Salaam and demanded the release of another Kenyan national detained amid post-election unrest in Tanzania.

Ogutu, a teacher at Sky Schools, was shot dead on October 29, while Fredrick Lorent Obuya was unlawfully arrested and held incommunicado at Oyster Bay Police Station since October 31, the groups said.

The violence erupted after Tanzania’s general election, which President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with roughly 97–98 per cent of the vote.

Protests broke out in Dar es Salaam and other major cities, with opposition parties reporting hundreds of deaths and widespread property damage.

Security forces deployed the military, imposed curfews, and restricted internet access in an effort to curb the unrest.

Vocal Africa, Amnesty International Kenya, and Defenders Coalition accused Tanzanian authorities of scapegoating Kenyans for the unrest, warning that such claims endanger thousands of Kenyan citizens living and working in Tanzania.

“We are appalled by the killing of John Ogutu and the continued detention of Fredrick Obuya,” said Irungu Houghton, Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya.

“These incidents reflect a growing pattern of repression in Tanzania since the disputed election,” he added.

The organisations urged the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments to repatriate Ogutu’s body, conduct an independent postmortem, and secure Obuya’s immediate release or charge him before a competent court.

“There could be as many as 20,000 Kenyans living and working in Tanzania. They are teachers, traders, and professionals. The Government of Kenya has a duty to protect its citizens abroad,” noted Hussein Khalid, Executive Director of Vocal Africa.

The groups warned that if both governments fail to act, regional bar associations and human rights organisations may take the matter to the East African Court of Justice and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

They also urged regional bodies, including the African Union, Southern African Development Community, and East African Community, to act to protect Tanzanians and other foreign nationals.

“We stand in solidarity with the people of Tanzania in their struggle for human rights and dignity,” noted Kamau Ngugi of Defenders Coalition.