Government taken to task over safety of citizens in Tanzania

The Human Rights defenders during a media briefing in Nairobi demanding the release of the over 5000 Tanzanians illegally detained. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

Senators want the government to tell Kenyans the measures put in place to enhance future preparedness in safeguarding Kenyans living abroad, and its assessment of the safety of Kenyan citizens currently in Tanzania.

The Senators sought to know the emergency assistance evaluation protocols and other measures instituted by the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to ensure the safety of Kenyans in Tanzania during this period, including whether the Ministry has issued travel advisories and established communication channels to keep Kenyan nationals informed.

They were contributing to a statement sought by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei before the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations regarding the safety of Kenyan citizens in Tanzania following the post-election unrest, where their security is not guaranteed.

“Following Tanzania's October 2025 general elections, the country has experienced widespread unrest marked by civilian clashes with security forces. Major cities have witnessed heightened tensions, raising serious concerns about public safety and civil stability. This poses a significant safety risk to Kenyan citizens residing in or travelling to Tanzania,” said Cherargei.

The Nandi Senator sought to have the government secure the regions along the Kenyan-Tanzanian border, including the coordination efforts underway between the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments to de-escalate tensions and address the reported cases of broader violence.

Cherargei wants the Senate Committee to tell the House whether there are ongoing engagements with regional and international organisations, including the East African Community (EAC) and the African Union (AU), to address the humanitarian and security implications of the unrest in Tanzania.

Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda said that it was important to note that the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, 1999, Articles Two and Three, speaks to the gradual intention of the East African nation states to coalesce into a union in five stages.

Prof Ojienda said the Customs Union and the protocol on the free movement of persons, goods and services was a pointer towards free movement within East Africa by all citizens, and that is why it is imperative that the East African states and governments should treat citizens of East Africa as one and ensure that human rights of every individual are protected.

“The protection of human rights in different perspectives and the regional obligations of states in East Africa point to the obligation to ensure that every person living in a country, even though they are residents or persons belonging to another state, has a right to equal protection as their own citizens,” said Ojienda.

West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor wondered why it is so easy for Kenyans to be mistreated while we do not mistreat other people, asking why we are becoming so laid-back such that we do not respond to the plight of our people when they are persecuted or arrested and thrown into police cells, yet other governments follow up on their people.

The West Pokot Senator said it is time that the government handled such situations equally and made the other governments responsible and positive towards Kenyans, lamenting that our citizens are being treated like they do not really matter in East Africa, yet we have hosted some of them as refugees and intervened whenever they have a crisis.

“Are we so friendly that we do not even do anything, even if they make mistakes? We are good neighbours, we treat them humanely, we intervene whenever they are in crisis, we even host refugees from these nations, while Kenyans are treated with hostility in these countries,” wondered Murgor.

Nominated Senator Beatrice Ogolla said that it was high time that Kenyans appreciated the country that we have and protected all our gains by all means, and that just recently we saw the National Police recruitment exercise being suspended by the Judiciary, and the Executive was capable of respecting that.

Ogolla said that while Kenyans sometimes do not appreciate the gains we have made, when you listen to what happens in other countries, you begin to appreciate our country, attributing some of the gains to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who fought for democracy, multi-partyism, stood for social justice and ensured that human rights were respected.

“Why do other countries find it so difficult to reciprocate what we do to them in this Republic? In Kenya, you will find all nationals doing a number of businesses, some of them small businesses that we would not ordinarily expect them to undertake; however, as Kenyans, we respect their rights and give them the freedom of movement,” wondered Ogolla.

Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga said that, recognising that we are living in an international community and a world that is moving towards becoming global, it is important that we acknowledge that there is nobody who would invite trouble to come to their home, and that when it does, it is good for us to be good to our neighbours.

Wamatinga said that it is imperative that, as legislators, they come up with a framework that will ensure that, moving forward, communities that find themselves displaced and moving to neighbouring countries can be integrated, and they should get an acceptable way of living that includes access to good education and employment.

The Nyeri Senator said that it was their moral and political obligation to ensure that, when they address the public, they make statements that promote unity and integration and work towards ensuring that our country moves forward seamlessly—not along tribal or communal lines, but towards a society that recognises that the world is becoming a global village.

“As citizens of the East African Community, it is important to promote regional integration. As politicians, we must ask ourselves, through our utterances, how much we fund, fuel or cause civil strife that ends up disintegrating our societies,” said Wamatinga.

Nominated Senator Catherine Mumma said that we have all seen in the media that several families are mourning the loss of their loved ones who lived in Tanzania and died during the skirmishes that followed the elections.

Mumma said that Kenya is a country that respects the rule of law, with the Constitution we have today having been brought about through the efforts of activists and human rights defenders who agitated for it. She said it is their collective responsibility, as leaders, whether or not they agree with one another, to advocate for the rights of all people.

“As Members of Parliament, we have a duty to stand up for the rights of every Kenyan, whether they are in Tanzania, Uganda or elsewhere. It is therefore deeply saddening to hear of Kenyans losing their lives, property or being injured, simply because of their nationality,” said Mumma.

The Nominated Senator urged the relevant Standing Committee to take urgent action and report to Parliament on how many Kenyans have lost their lives, property or have been injured as a result of these attacks, and that as a country, we must continue respecting international treaties and welcoming all Tanzanians, Ugandans and other foreigners within our borders.

Nominated Senator Veronica Maina said the safety of Kenyans everywhere, including within the EAC region, is extremely important, with the EAC operating under a treaty for integration, meant to unite all East Africans into one strong economic bloc.

Maina said that unfortunately, even though Article 16 of the Common Market Protocol promotes the free movement of people, goods and services, it is alarming that official reports from Tanzania indicate that people who were harassed, detained or even killed during the recent crisis were likely Kenyans.

“The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), perhaps even more than the Kenyan Parliament, must establish the facts: who were those people killed and why were they targeted during the demonstrations that reportedly led to the deaths of several foreigners?” asked Maina.

The Nominated Senator said that it was heart-wrenching for Kenyans to watch Tanzanian authorities boldly declare that those who were killed were foreigners, most likely Kenyans, and that we even saw reports of a Kenyan teacher who died during the protests.

Maina said this is not a friendly political act, with Kenya having always maintained cordial relations with Tanzania, and that it is troubling that our citizens could be targeted there. She added that if you walk through some streets in Nairobi today, you will find small traders from Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania.