Tanzania post-election unrest spills into Kenya as police lob tear gas over the border

Tanzania’s post-electoral unrest isn’t confined to the country. It’s now spilling over in to neighbouring Kenya.

The town of Namanga is divided by the Tanzania-Kenya border. Tanzanian protesters fled into Kenya to avoid confrontations with police, but officers then threw tear gas canisters over the border.

Businesses have been forced to close because of the unrest and trucks transporting goods are stuck at the frontier.

Taliban Onyango is a trader on the Kenyan side of the border:

"The challenge we have today is that we are not able to operate businesses because of the elections in Tanzania. The Tanzanian police are lobbing tear gas at us. Now we have nothing to feed our kids. We are asking our government to maintain peace at the border so we can go on with our businesses and the same for the Tanzanians."

Internet blackout

The Kenyan side of Namanga has also been hit by the internet blackout imposed by Tanzanian authorities since Wednesday’s presidential election.

Amnesty International has called for the government to restore internet connectivity, warning that restricting information could lead to further unrest. For now, protesters are reportedly using walkie-talkie apps on their phones to plan their next steps.

According to Kenyan media reports, journalists wanting to cross the border into Tanzania have been barred from entering the country.