Tanzania Frees Two Kenyan Police Officers and Three Civilians After Border Arrests
Rather, these items were placed under detention at Lunga Lunga Police Station, Kwale County, pending internal police procedures and further administrative action.
A police report confirmed that the five who had earlier been arrested at Horo-Horo One-Stop Border Point (OSBP) after a joint briefing by both government agencies. Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
The Tanzanian authorities have freed the two Kenyan police officers and three other civilians who had been in custody following an incident at the Kenya–Tanzania border. The five were finally released after engagements involving security agencies from both countries, said an official police report.
According to the report, a joint briefing by relevant government agencies from Kenya and Tanzania was held before making the arrests at Horo-Horo One-Stop Border Point (OSBP). Subsequently, consultations were held regarding the circumstances of the crossing of the Tanzanian border and the operation for which the persons were arrested.
The two officers are identified as Patrick Kithinji and Ahmed Ali from Tononoka Police Station-Mombasa. They were arrested on January 6, 2026, along with three civilians, identified as Mzee Mwinyi, Sophia Menza Mbogo, and Abdikadir Adan. Kenyan authorities were angered about their detention, which engendered diplomatic and security-level interventions by both neighbouring states.
Circumstances under which the officers crossed the border while pursuing a suspect believed to have fled into Tanzania were stated in initial police accounts. This suspect, one Omar Ali, was supposedly wanted in connection with an alleged case of obtaining money by false pretence, said to have occurred within Tononoka area in Mombasa. It was reported that the officers were acting on information that the suspect had crossed into the neighboring country.
The incident, however, threw into sharp focus the sensitivity of cross-border operations, especially when law enforcement officers went beyond their jurisdictions without any form of coordination or authorization. The five are now out, but the matter is still under review by relevant Kenyan authorities.
According to the police report, the firearms assigned to the officers were not immediately released upon their return, nor was a government vehicle which descended from the Department of Water Development. Rather, these items were placed under detention at Lungalunga Police Station, Kwale County, pending internal police procedures and further administrative action.
The detained firearms comprised two Ceska pistols, each with 15 rounds of ammunition. The authorities emphasized that the detention of the aforementioned weapons and the vehicle is part of the internal procedures while the police shall establish the circumstances of the cross-border pursuit and adherence to operational protocols.
The release of these officers and civilians was a first step toward easing any immediate tensions surrounding the incident, while the ongoing internal reviews will ascertain if there would be any need for disciplinary or procedural action. The case has also put the spotlight on the need for cross-border cooperation and adherence to already laid down procedures in the handling of suspects whose alleged crimes spill over international jurisdictions, especially for two closely related neighbouring countries such as Kenya and Tanzania.
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