TANZANIA FREES TWO KENYAN POLICE OFFICERS AND THREE CIVILIANS AFTER BORDER DETENTION
Tanzanian officials have freed two Kenyan police officers and three civilians who were previously detained.
According to a police statement, the five individuals were taken into custody at the Horo-Horo One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) following a joint operation and briefing involving security agencies from both countries.
The officers—Patrick Kithinji and Ahmed Ali, attached to Tononoka Police Station in Mombasa—were arrested on January 6, 2026, together with civilians Mzee Mwinyi, Sophia Menza Mbogo, and Abdikadir Adan.
An initial police account stated that the two officers had crossed into Tanzanian territory in an attempt to arrest a suspect. They identified the individual as Omar Ali, whom they were pursuing in connection with an alleged case of obtaining money through false pretenses that reportedly took place in Tononoka.
As a result of the incident, the officers' service firearms—two Ceska pistols, each loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition—and the government vehicle assigned to the Department of Water Development were impounded at Lungalunga Police Station in Kwale County. The items remain held there pending further internal disciplinary and investigative proceedings by the Kenyan police.
