NAIROBI, Kenya July 27 – Is there a secret deal between Kenya and Tanzania to crush dissent across borders?That’s the question gripping East Africa after Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi was found abandoned and shaken in a thicket in Kwale County on Sunday, days after he vanished mysteriously in Dar es Salaam.Mwagodi, a fierce critic of President William Ruto’s church fundraising drive and a leader in the #OccupyChurch movement, had disappeared in Tanzania on July 23, 2025. His last known act was a social media post tagging top Kenyan security chiefs and the president, accusing them of corruption and repression.Days later, he surfaced shaken, having walked for kilometers to safety after being dumped near Diani.Now, civil society groups and political observers are questioning whether Kenya and Tanzania are engaged in “silent collusion” an unspoken pact to deal with political dissenters outside the law.The signs are disturbing. Just months ago, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan lawyer Agather Atuhaire were arrested, tortured, and deported from Tanzania under murky circumstances.In both cases, Kenya offered little more than silence.“This isn’t just about one man,” said one user on X. “There is a clear, worrying pattern of cross-border repression and Kenya appears complicit.”Kenya’s top officials failure to comment on Mwagodi’s disappearance has only deepened suspicions. Critics say Tanzania may be acting as Kenya’s enforcer doing what Nairobi occasionally does albeit illegal: abduct activists.In May 2025, President Ruto issued a public apology to Tanzania “If we have wronged you, forgive us.” Human rights groups now say that statement raised more red flags than it settled, especially given the absence of any protest over the treatment of Kenyan citizens abroad.Meanwhile, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu warned foreign activists to “stay out” of her country, branding them “chaos creators.” For many, the message is clear: dissent will not be tolerated, whether at home or from across the border.Civil society organisations across the region are demanding urgent investigations, with calls growing for the East African Court of Justice to intervene.