Arusha – Human rights and social justice activist Godlisten Malisa was reportedly taken from the Namanga border post on August 31, following a passport check by immigration officers, according to accounts released by his lawyer and a friend who said he was with him at the border.
Neither the Tanzania Police Force nor the Immigration Services Department had publicly confirmed or denied the reported arrest or disclosed Malisa’s location, the legal grounds for any action against him, or his welfare by the time of publication.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Malisa’s lawyer, Dickson Matata, said the activist had been travelling back from the United States through Kenya when an airport workers’ strike in Nairobi forced him to continue by road to Namanga, on the Kenya-Tanzania border.
Matata said Malisa presented his passport to Tanzanian immigration officials after arriving at the border, but was told that the document could not be read in the system and that he would have to wait for the officer in charge.
The lawyer said that later in the evening, Malisa was taken away in a white double cab vehicle by people who were not wearing police uniforms. Matata said the vehicle first went toward Longido Police Station and then drove in the direction of Arusha.
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“At the time I issue this statement, there is no complete information on Malisa GJ’s whereabouts or the reason for his arrest,” Matata said in the statement issued at 10:51 PM on August 31.
He called on police and immigration authorities either to release Malisa or to state where he was being held, why, and whether he could communicate with or see his lawyers.
A separate first-person account by James Mbowe, who described Malisa as his friend, broadly corroborated the sequence of events. Mbowe said he drove from Moshi to Kajiado, Kenya, collected Malisa there, and accompanied him to Namanga after the disruption at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Mbowe said he remained at the Tanzanian immigration office while officers retained Malisa’s passport and then saw immigration officials and other people in civilian clothes take him away, saying they were taking him to Longido Police Station.
He said he later went to Longido and Arusha police stations and was told Malisa had not been brought to either. The two accounts differ on the precise time at which Malisa was taken away, but both place him at the Tanzanian immigration office beforehand and say his phones were subsequently switched off.
A high-reach digital activist
Malisa is a Tanzanian activist who uses social media as a major platform for human rights and public-interest advocacy. His Instagram account displayed about 932,000 followers when reviewed, giving his public messages a substantial audience.
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His profile describes him as an “award-winning philanthropist,” “SBC Specialist,” “Human Rights Activist,” and an alumnus of the U.S. International Visitor Leadership Program, or IVLP. It also identifies him as a supporter of Simba Sports Club.
His online activity also includes public appeals for people facing personal emergencies, mainly through his Gifted Hearts Foundation. His account has carried missing-person notices, people needing medical assistance, and other emergencies.
The U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam announced in September 2025 that Malisa had been selected for its IVLP under the “NEW Media Voices” programme. The embassy said he would visit four U.S. states and meet community leaders, media professionals and government agencies to exchange views on innovation, ethics, and the role of media in strengthening and serving communities.
He studied mass communication at St Augustine University of Tanzania and completed a postgraduate diploma in strategic health communication at Johns Hopkins University. He also served as president of the St Augustine University students’ government.
Malisa has been placing rights advocacy alongside community mobilisation, health communication and media work.
Previous arrests
This would not be the first time Malisa has been detained or prosecuted. In April 2024, he and former Ubungo mayor Boniface Jacob were held for three days after reporting to Oysterbay Police Station, amid allegations that their online posts incited hostility against police.
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In May 2024, the two were charged at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court with three counts of publishing false information under the Cybercrimes Act. The allegations related to online claims concerning the death of Robert Mushi, widely known as Babu G, while police maintained that Mushi had died in a road accident.
Malisa and Jacob denied wrongdoing.
Malisa was also detained and questioned in Kilimanjaro in June 2024 over Instagram posts, before being released on bail.
The reported Namanga episode follows that earlier legal scrutiny of Malisa’s online activity. But until the relevant authorities issue a statement or Malisa’s location is confirmed, the circumstances of the latest report remain unconfirmed.
