The family of Kenyan teacher John Okoth Ogutu has been reassured that the search for his remains is entering a more active phase, with Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei saying the government is stepping up all efforts to trace and bring his body back home after it disappeared in Dar es Salaam during post-election unrest.
Sing’oei met the grieving family this week, telling them that Kenya will stand with them until the remains of Ogutu are located and returned.
He explained that the process had slowed in recent weeks because the swearing-in of key officials in Tanzania had not yet been completed, but expressed confidence that the new administration in Dodoma would now address the matter without delay.
“Met the family of the late John Okoth Ogutu, a school teacher in Tanzania, who lost his life during the post-electoral disturbances in Dar Es Salaam. Assured them of government’s commitment to finding and repatriating the remains of our late national,” Sing’oei stated.
His reassurance comes as new accounts reveal how Ogutu, who had lived in Dar es Salaam for over ten years and taught at Sky School Primary in Kinondoni, was caught up in violence that erupted after the October 29 elections.
The 33-year-old was reportedly preparing to travel to Kenya as tensions rose.
John Okoth Ogutu a Kenyan teacher killed during post-electoral unrest in Dar es Salaam .PHOTO/XRelatives say they learnt of his death through a contact in Tanzania, who informed them that Ogutu had been shot at Goba Centre in Ubungo District as protests spread shortly after the vote ended.
Activists and witnesses claim that security personnel fired live bullets in several affected areas as confrontations intensified amid accusations of unfair representation and the arrest of high-profile opposition figures such as Tundu Lissu.
Ogutu was shot shortly after 7pm during this wave of unrest.
Initial reports indicated his body had been taken to Mwananyamala Mortuary, but his colleagues who later visited the facility were told that only two bodies lay there and his was not one of them.
The Foreign Affairs ministry says the Kenyan Embassy in Dar es Salaam has been updating Nairobi as pressure mounts on Tanzanian authorities to account for the missing body and clarify the circumstances of the shooting.
Earlier in the month, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi held talks with Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, to address growing concerns affecting Kenyans living in Tanzania after the unrest.
The meeting on November 6 centred largely on safety issues and included a discussion on Ogutu’s case.
The ministry later confirmed that Mudavadi had demanded a clear explanation, noting that “the body of Ogutu has not been traced to date.”
“We are engaging Tanzanian authorities through our High Commission in Dar es Salaam to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing and ensure justice for the victim’s family,” Mudavadi said.
He also briefed the delegation that eight Kenyans arrested during the disturbances have since been freed, while three others remain in custody two in Arusha and one in Dar es Salaam where consular assistance continues.
Despite the rising concerns, Mudavadi said Kenya continues to recognise the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and remains committed to strengthening cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.
