DAR ES SALAAM — In a defiant speech from the capital, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has called on Tanzanian officials to guard the country against what she described as “outsiders” seeking to sow unrest. The remarks come in the wake of growing regional outrage over the arrest and forcible deportation of two human rights activists from neighboring Kenya and Uganda.
Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed government officials at State House in Dar es Salaam on Friday, President Suluhu addressed the controversy without directly naming the individuals involved. But her message was pointed.
“We are the ones who belong here, no one else,” she said in Kiswahili. “Because of the beauty and strength of our nation, there are now those coming from elsewhere who want to disrupt us. The job of protecting this country does not belong to me alone. It is for all of us.”
The President’s comments follow the arrest last week of Boniface Mwangi, a prominent Kenyan activist, and Agather Atuhaire, a journalist and rights defender from Uganda. The pair had travelled to Tanzania to observe the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. They were arrested at their hotel in Dar es Salaam on 19 May, held incommunicado for several days, and later dumped at border posts, showing visible signs of physical abuse.
Amnesty International has called the treatment of Mwangi and Atuhaire “unlawful and inhumane”, and urged Tanzanian authorities to open an immediate and transparent investigation.
“For four days, these two human rights defenders were subjected to unimaginable cruelty,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. “There must be accountability and justice.”
President Suluhu’s government has not confirmed the details of their detention, nor the claims of physical abuse. The President has instead doubled down on rhetoric suggesting that the presence of foreign activists represents a threat to Tanzania’s sovereignty.
Her critics argue the move fits into a broader pattern of repression in the lead-up to the country’s general elections, set for October. Rights groups have reported a wave of crackdowns on opposition voices, including arbitrary arrests and the targeting of civil society organisations.
Tundu Lissu, the politician the activists had gone to support, is facing treason charges related to comments he made online urging voters to boycott the upcoming polls. His supporters have also faced heavy-handed treatment. In April, more than 50 of them were reportedly assaulted by police while attempting to attend a court hearing. Several were later found abandoned in a forest, bearing injuries.
In early May, another activist, Mdude Nyagali, was beaten and taken from his home in Mbeya by men identifying themselves as police. His whereabouts remain unknown. Authorities have denied holding him.
The Tanzanian government has so far rejected claims of systemic abuse. Officials say they are enforcing immigration and national security laws. President Suluhu, who took office in 2021 as the country’s first female head of state, has increasingly adopted hardline language on issues of dissent and foreign influence.
Still, pressure is mounting. Kenya and Uganda’s foreign affairs ministries reportedly intervened to secure the release of their nationals. Regional organisations and watchdogs continue to call for stronger protections for those working to uphold democratic values in East Africa.
As President Suluhu steers the country towards another high-stakes election, questions remain over whether her government will allow open dissent or continue its crackdown on critics—foreign or domestic.
