Kenya Urges Protection for Citizens Amid Tanzanian Election Turmoil

Fri Nov 07 2025 15:58:08 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Kenyan government calls for the safety of its citizens in Tanzania following a violent crackdown on protests post-election. Rights groups raise alarm over the risks Kenyans face during this unrest.

After a disputed election, Kenya has demanded the protection of its citizens in Tanzania, where reports of violence and harassment have surged. Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi addressed concerns for Kenyans targeted during the unrest, highlighting the need for diplomatic action while rights groups report escalating dangers. The situation escalated following President Samia Suluhu Hassan's controversial election victory, during which numerous foreigners, including Kenyans, were caught in the aftermath of the backlash.

Kenya Urges Protection for Citizens Amid Tanzanian Election Turmoil

The safety of Kenyans caught up in post-election violence in neighbouring Tanzania must be guaranteed, Kenya's foreign minister has told his Tanzanian counterpart.

Kenyan citizens are living in fear in Tanzania after being reportedly targeted in a brutal crackdown on the protests that followed last week's disputed election.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the poll with 98% of the vote - and in her inauguration speech condemned the violence and blamed foreigners for stoking the unrest.

Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said the rights of some Kenyans had been violated and that formal reports had been submitted to the Tanzanian authorities for appropriate action.

During a phone conversation, Mudavadi said he had told Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo that concerns would be addressed through the established diplomatic and consular channels. He had reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding the rights, safety, and dignity of Kenyans living in Tanzania.

In May, Mudavadi had said that about 250,000 Kenyans lived, worked or did business in Tanzania. The Tanzanian government has come under intense international scrutiny for allegedly using excessive force to quell post-election protests, which reportedly left hundreds of people dead.

It has sought to downplay the scale of the violence and has dismissed the number of deaths given by the opposition as greatly exaggerated.

Earlier, a Tanzanian police spokesman said the country had intelligence that some foreigners had crossed the border through illegal points with the intention to commit crimes, including causing unrest.

Several families in Kenya have expressed concern for the safety of their relatives in Tanzania, following reports that some Kenyans have been killed, injured, or detained, while others are nursing injuries allegedly inflicted by Tanzanian security officers.

Kenyan human rights activist Hussein Khalid urged the government to take urgent measures to protect them, saying that Tanzanian authorities were using Kenyans as scapegoats for the atrocities committed by police against Tanzanians.

Many Kenyans, especially those working in private schools, are now fleeing Tanzania after the government warned employers not to engage people without work permits.

The global community, including rights groups, continues to call for accountability and protection of civilians caught in this turmoil, as fears of a worsening humanitarian scenario mount.