The Common Room: Let's face it, Kenya is the tribal king of East Africa

A supporter of Dr.John Pombe Magufuli of Chama Cha Mapinduzi(CCM) celebrates in the street s of Dar es Salaam after it was announced that he won the Tanzania's presidential election Photo: Pius Cheruiyot

As Tanzanians prepared to vote in the just-concluded elections, I crossed the border to cover the polls. Whereas I felt that the election was, in many ways, fraudulent, I found myself craving for Tanzania’s tolerant, non-violent political culture as we crossed the border back into Kenya after the elections.

My ‘feeling’ that the good old election wool, sewn to stitch perfection across the African continent, was being pulled over Tanzanians’ eyes is informed almost purely by anecdotal evidence patched together. Mostly, this was gleaned as I, alongside tens of other bored journalists, watched and waited for election results to be announced by Tanzania’s National Elections Commission.