NAIROB -Amid growing unease between Kenya and Tanzania, former Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has called for calm, urging President Samia Suluhu Hassan to soften her government’s recent hardline stance on cross-border relations.
Speaking from Nairobi on Friday, Musyoka appealed directly to Tanzania’s president after several Kenyans were reportedly denied entry into Dar es Salaam in recent days. He framed the issue not just as a diplomatic disagreement but a threat to the spirit of regional cooperation.
“I want to tell President Suluhu Kenyans are not your enemies,” he said. “Our people have shared lives for decades. Many Tanzanians and Kenyans are family through marriage, trade and history. This should not be forgotten.”
His comments follow a fiery speech by President Suluhu on Monday, in which she appeared to accuse unnamed activists from neighbouring countries of meddling in Tanzania’s domestic affairs. Her message was blunt.
“We’ve started to see a trend of activists in this region thinking they can interfere with our affairs,” Suluhu told a crowd in Dodoma, speaking in Swahili. “If their own countries have failed to control them, they should not come here to cause trouble.”
She warned security and foreign policy officials not to allow what she described as “disrespectful outsiders” to disrupt Tanzania’s internal order.
Though she did not mention Kenya by name, the message was widely interpreted in Nairobi as a rebuke aimed at recent civil society activity linked to regional human rights network many of which include Kenyan organizations.
Kalonzo, the Wiper Party leader and a seasoned statesman, said dialogue is the only way forward.
“If there are concerns, let us address them directly. Leaders from our nations can meet, talk, and resolve the issues. We must not let suspicion grow between us,” he said.
He also pointed to the broader implications for the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc meant to promote open borders and economic cooperation.
“Integration isn’t just about attending summits in Arusha,” Kalonzo said, referencing the EAC’s headquarters in Tanzania. “It’s about aligning our values, respecting each other, and solving problems together.”
Tanzania and Kenya, East Africa’s two largest economies, have long had a complex but generally cordial relationship. Disagreements over trade, immigration, and border controls flare up from time to time, but are usually resolved diplomatically.
Political analysts say this latest tension is unlikely to escalate, but it underscores the delicate balance of national sovereignty and regional unity.
“Suluhu’s message seems aimed more at domestic audiences,” said Dr. Amina Lumumba, a regional affairs expert at the University of Nairobi. “But it has diplomatic ripples. Kalonzo’s intervention is important it reminds both sides of what’s at stake.”
So far, there has been no official response from President Suluhu’s office.
Back in Nairobi, Kalonzo urged patience and grace.
“These things test us,” he said. “But our unity is deeper than politics. Let’s not allow fear or mistrust to take hold.”
