By Murugi Ndwiga
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — What was meant to be a show of solidarity turned into a dramatic cross-border standoff — complete with midnight arrests, deportations, and threats of prison time. Now, East Africans are watching with bated breath as signs of a region once united by dreams of integration dissolve into a worrying new reality: creeping authoritarianism with nowhere left to hide.
The events of the past week — from the arrest and deportation of high-profile Kenyan lawyers and activists to the detention of Ugandan and Kenyan human rights defenders in Tanzania — have sent a chilling message: even solidarity is now a subversive act.
A Solidarity Mission, Stifled at the Border
It began with a quiet flight and a shared purpose: to stand in court with Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is facing treason and incitement charges over his criticism of President Samia Suluhu’s administration and the disputed 2020 elections. Among the travelers were Kenyan luminaries — former Justice Minister Martha Karua, former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Lynn Ngugi, Gloria Kimani of the Law Society of Kenya, and activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid.
They were invited by the East Africa Law Society, the regional legal body responsible for promoting rule of law and democratic values. But upon landing at Julius Nyerere International Airport, they were detained and swiftly deported. Their crime? According to Tanzanian authorities, “unauthorized political activity.”
“We came to uphold the law, not to break it,” Karua said upon returning to Nairobi. “But we were treated like criminals.”
A Midnight Raid, a Locked Door
Then came Boniface Mwangi, the firebrand Kenyan activist known for his fearless calls for justice across the region, and Agather Atuhaire, a respected Ugandan journalist and rights defender. Both were arrested in Dar es Salaam and are currently being held at the Central Police Station.
Mwangi’s case is particularly harrowing. Armed police surrounded his hotel at 2:00 a.m. and demanded he exit. Fearing for his life, he refused — prompting accusations of non-compliance and threats of a three-year prison sentence under Tanzania’s immigration laws.
According to human rights groups, the arrests amount to nothing less than persecution of peaceful observers.
Tundu Lissu on Trial — and the Region With Him
At the heart of the storm is Tundu Lissu, chairman of the opposition CHADEMA party and a survivor of a 2017 assassination attempt widely believed to be politically motivated. His trial — on charges of treason and incitement — has become a symbol of Tanzania’s democratic backslide.
Lissu’s crime? Publicly criticizing the government’s repression and questioning the legitimacy of President Samia’s election victory. For that, he could face a long prison sentence. And anyone who dares show support — even across the border — is now considered an enemy of the state.
President Samia’s Warning
In response to growing criticism, President Samia Suluhu didn’t mince her words. Speaking in Swahili during a rally, she said:
“Kama kwao wamedhibitiwa kwao, wasije kutuharibia huku.”
— “If they have been banned in their own country, they should not come here to disturb us.”
The president’s statement, aimed at Karua and others, has ignited regional debate. Critics say it echoes the language of past autocracies — and underscores a growing intolerance for dissent within the East African bloc.
The Vanishing Dream of East African Unity
Just a few years ago, the East African Community envisioned a shared market, visa-free travel, and legal cooperation across borders. Today, even lawyers and human rights defenders are being treated as foreign agents — and jailed for asking questions.
It’s no longer a Tanzania-Kenya affair now, East Africans are now witnessing a regional retraction of civic space — Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, even a once-stable Tanzania. The instruments of repression are growing stronger than the institutions of democracy.
A Glimmer of Defiance
But the story doesn’t end in fear. Former Chief Justice David Maraga confirmed his arrival in Dar es Salaam via X:
“Safely arrived in Dar-es-Salaam. Headed to court for the Tundu Lissu court case.”
His courage — and that of the others who came before him — is a signal to many that while democracy may be under siege, it is not yet defeated.
Across borders and barbed wire, in courtrooms and on Twitter threads, East Africans are still resisting. But for how long, and at what cost?