Tanzania owes Kenya no apologies over deportations

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu makes his speech during the Africa climate summit 2023 Day Two at KICC on September 05, 2023. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Sometimes, defending yourself gets mistaken for aggression. Especially when you're a quiet neighbour who refuses to shout back. I’ve watched, almost bemused, as a growing list of Kenyan columnists, activists, and social commentators continue their loud and almost rehearsed condemnations of Tanzania’s recent immigration decisions.

To hear them tell it, we’ve become some caricature of repression—throwing out foreign activists like a spooked autocrat shutting the blinds. But this isn’t the theatre of tyranny. It’s called protecting your house when guests forget they’re visitors.