- Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is navigating the most challenging phase of her reign after succeeding the fallen president John Magufuli, who died in office.
- Then a Vice President, she inherited a grieving nation, guiding it through its deep loss as the country picked up the pieces to forge ahead.
- In a shocking turn of events, President Hassan is now at the center of relentless unrest and valiant protests against authoritarianism and recent fictitious elections.
- Tanzanian street protests are now backed by unexpected reinforcement from Kenya, where activists are using social media to pressure the unpopular regime.
- Kenyans have also converged on the border towns of Namanga and Horohoro, attempting to cross into Tanzania to join the mass action.
- This solidarity is unprecedented, considering the subtle but long-simmering tensions that have defined relations between the two neighboring countries.
Protests Break Out in Tanzania Over Botched 2025 Election
Tanzanians have taken the world by surprise following emphatic protests that have raged for three consecutive days across the country.
The civil unrest is a rare spectacle in a country that has for decades been a beacon of peace in East Africa.
Serious damage has been witnessed in the protests that sprouted on election day, following the detention of key contenders by the government.
While allegations of election manipulation are the immediate trigger, these landmark protests point to a deep dissatisfaction among ordinary Tanzanians with their government.
Thousands of protestors claimed they were tired of rampant abductions, stifled freedom of expression, and politically motivated arrests of influential leaders.
Among those targeted are opposition figureheads Tundu Antiphas Lissu and John Heche, currently held by the state on various charges, including treason.
Mr. Lissu is among the biggest misses on the Tanzanian 2025 presidential ballot paper, whose lineup has been reportedly engineered to favor the incumbent.
While other candidates are included on the presidential ballot, they are widely believed to have been strategically fielded to provide Tanzanian voters with an illusion of choice.
As a result, Tanzanians have resoundingly rejected the election, denouncing it as a sham, a travesty, and a fraud against their democratic order.
Tundu Lissu Gains Support From Kenyan Civil Society
Kenyans have been closely monitoring the developments in Tanzania.
Interest in the election intensified months earlier when the arrest and arraignment of Tundu Lissu on treason charges was widely condemned by Kenyan activists as repression.
The case gained national prominence in Kenya after several activists were arrested, harassed, and deported while attempting to attend Mr. Lissu’s court sessions.
Among those prominent Kenyans removed from Tanzania for appearing in solidarity with Mr. Lissu were former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and former Justice Minister Martha Karua.
Activists Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan Agather Atuhaire were also arrested and allegedly tortured by Tanzanian authorities around the same time.
CCM Leadership Escalates Tensions with Kenya
The Tanzanian government, led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, quickly condemned the actions by Kenyan elements, terming them as unacceptable interference and subversion of its internal affairs.
The President, along with allied MPs from the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, subsequently ruthlessly castigated sections of the Kenyan population as mischievous, uncultured, and delusional.
Clips from a Tanzanian Parliamentary session went viral in Kenya, where unhinged Tanzanian members gave the famous Kenyan Gen Zs a serious dressing-down.
One of them remarkably stated that “Tanzanians have absolutely nothing to learn from Kenyans.”
According to the legislator, they (Tanzanians) are ahead of Kenyans in everything, including intellect.
The viral lawmaker concluded by asserting that Tanzanians do not care about English proficiency, directly referencing a longstanding stereotype of Kenyan false superiority based on their perceived mastery of English.
The Tanzanian public appeared to agree with the harsh sentiments, underscoring the deep, often covert diplomatic tensions that have long existed between the two countries.
The relationship between Kenya and Tanzania has always been a hidden rivalry, characterized by subtle maneuvers and frictions that flare up tension.
In July 2025, Kenyan authorities flew into panic after Tanzania announced a controversial ban on foreigners engaging in 15 categories of small and medium-sized business activities.
Kenya protested the move, calling it discriminatory and a breach of the East African Community (EAC) Common Market Protocol.
In January 2024, Tanzania also removed clearance for Kenya Airways passenger service to Dar es Salaam as a retaliatory measure after Kenya halted Air Tanzania’s cargo operations.
Similar measures have been taken by previous regimes, including Magufuli’s government, which hiked prices of Tanzanian food produce sold in Kenya to protect its “hardworking” farmers.
While these issues have always been resolved diplomatically, differences between the governments and citizens of the two countries have continued to surface from time to time.
Kenyans in Solidarity with Tanzanians
The tensions, however, seem to have taken a break following the temporary alignment of interests between the Kenyan and Tanzanian people.
According to media reports and social network activity, citizens from the two countries are currently working on a joint project to “restore” democracy in Tanzania.
Influential Kenyan bloggers and social media users are rallying support online, condemning leading celebrities like Diamond Platnumz, Harmonize, and Ali Kiba for endorsing the ruling party.
Simultaneously, Kenyans have been attempting to join their neighbors in protest at border towns like Namanga and Lunga Lunga.
These actions have been frowned upon by both governments, which are reportedly working jointly on security coordination.
Kenyans view the protests in Tanzania as a sign that could expand democratic space and usher in more prosperity across the East African Community.
Meanwhile, the nation’s electoral commission declared President Samia the winner of the October 2025 vote with a decisive 98% majority.