Dar es Salaam. Police in Arusha Region have confirmed that they detained activist and Gifted Heart Foundation (GH Foundation) executive director, Mr Godlisten Malisa, over criminal allegations under investigation, after a lawyer and the opposition political party Chadema Western Zone chairman Dickson Matata raised concerns about his whereabouts.
Arusha Regional Police Commander Justine Masejo said Mr Malisa was arrested on Monday night, August 31, 2026, alongside another person and was later released on bail after questioning.
“Arusha Regional Police Command arrested Godlisten Malisa and another person on the night of August 31, 2026, over criminal allegations that were under investigation against him,” said a statement released on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, signed by Commander Masejo.
“After questioning, they were released on bail pending completion of other legal procedures,” added the regional police chief.
The police confirmation followed reports on social media that Mr Malisa had been detained after returning to Tanzania from the United States through Kenya.
Mr Malisa, a human rights advocate, had spent more than nine months in the United States, where he attended leadership training after being selected by the US Department of State.
According to Mr Matata, Mr Malisa arrived in Nairobi on Monday morning but was unable to continue his journey to Tanzania by air because of an ongoing workers' strike at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
He said Mr Malisa subsequently travelled by road to Namanga, on the Tanzania-Kenya border, to enter the country before continuing to Arusha.
Mr Matata said Mr Malisa arrived at Namanga at about 3 pm and proceeded to the immigration offices to have his passport stamped as required before entering Tanzania.
“After reaching the immigration officers, they took his passport and told him it could not be read by the system, so they could not do anything until their officer in charge arrived to check the system,” he said.
Mr Matata said Mr Malisa remained at the immigration offices waiting for the officer in charge to resolve the problem with the passport.
However, he alleged that at about 7 pm, his client was taken away in a white double-cab vehicle that did not belong to the law enforcement organ, but was driven to Longido Police Station.
“However, the vehicle did not stay there for long before leaving towards Arusha,” alleged Mr Matata.
The lawyer said the circumstances surrounding Mr Malisa’s movement from the immigration offices raised concerns about his safety and whereabouts, prompting him to call on the police and immigration authorities to provide an explanation.
Mr Matata also called on the authorities to clarify why Mr Malisa had been taken into custody and whether there was a legal basis for his detention.
Human rights defenders also raised similar concerns, demanding an official explanation from the authorities.
Following Mr Matata’s statement, the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) said on Monday that it was closely following reports of his detention and his transfer to Longido Police Station after spending several hours at the immigration offices in Namanga.
The organisation said it had contacted Mr Matata, who told it that he was in Arusha following up on the matter.
“THRDC calls on the police and immigration authorities to immediately provide official information on where Malisa is being held, the reasons for his detention and the legal basis for the action,” said the THRDC national coordinator, Mr Onesmo Olengurumwa.
The coalition also urged the authorities to ensure Mr Malisa’s safety and respect his rights while in custody.
It called for him to be allowed to communicate with his family and have access to his lawyers without restriction.
The concerns emerged against the backdrop of Mr Malisa’s return to Tanzania after spending more than nine months in the US, where he had been undertaking leadership training following his selection by the US Department of State.
His return journey took him through Kenya, with the disruption at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport forcing him to travel by road towards the Tanzania-Kenya border, according to Mr Matata.
