Kenya urges Tanzania to protect its citizens amid post-election violence

Kenya’s government has called on Tanzania to guarantee the safety of its nationals caught in the unrest following last week’s disputed presidential election.

Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said Kenyans living in Tanzania have reported being targeted in a violent crackdown on post-election protests. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with 98% of the vote, a result that sparked demonstrations and accusations of vote-rigging.

In her inauguration speech, President Hassan condemned the unrest, accusing “foreign elements” of fueling the violence.

Mudavadi said Kenya had filed “formal reports” with the Tanzanian authorities alleging violations of its citizens’ rights and requested “appropriate action.” Speaking after a phone call with Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, Mudavadi said both governments had agreed to address the issue through established diplomatic and consular channels.

He also reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to protecting “the rights, safety, and dignity” of its citizens abroad.

According to Mudavadi, roughly 250,000 Kenyans live, work, or conduct business in Tanzania.

The Tanzanian government is facing growing international scrutiny over claims of excessive force against protesters, with reports suggesting that hundreds have been killed. Officials in Dodoma have downplayed the scale of the violence, dismissing opposition figures’ death toll as “greatly exaggerated.”

A Tanzanian police spokesman earlier alleged that some foreigners had crossed into the country illegally “with the intention to commit crimes, including causing unrest.”

Meanwhile, several families in Kenya say they have lost contact with relatives in Tanzania. Others report that loved ones have been killed, injured, or detained, some allegedly at the hands of Tanzanian security forces.