Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has sparked controversy after calling on Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu to take decisive action against Kenyan activists who wade into Tanzania, whom he accuses of destabilising East Africa.
Speaking during the Senate proceedings on Wednesday, President William Ruto's allied Senator praised Suluhu for calling out activists who allegedly sought to disrupt Tanzania’s peace, stating that they should have been detained and prosecuted.
He argued that these individuals have introduced a culture of disrespect toward leadership, undermining governance in Kenya and beyond.
“Tanzania is a very peaceful country, and what President Suluhu hasn’t said outright is that we must respect our nations. There is mutual respect, and activists running around East Africa meddling in internal affairs must be stopped,” Cherargei alleged.
The Senator warned Suluhu to be wary of these activists, alleging that they were being financed by enemies of Africa who are seeking to destabilise the unity, peace, and tranquillity of most African nations.
Cherargei linked these claims to the broader issue of foreign influence in African politics, warning that external forces were fuelling unrest. He has asked Suluhu to help Kenya discipline the activists he termed as 'ill-behaved'.
“In the last Gen Z protests, there were allegations that international donors were financing instability in this country. I want to ask Suluhu, in the spirit of East Africa, if you should assist us in disciplining some of these ill-behaved activists that have continued to destabilise Kenya,” the senator continued.
His remarks drew mixed reactions from not only Kenyans but also leaders present in the Senate, who disagreed with him.
The Senator joined the Prime Cabinet Secretary in supporting the frustrations that Kenyan activists are facing in Tanzania.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Tuesday night, Mudavadi sided with Suluhu’s utterances regarding what she termed the activists’ “interference” in Tanzania’s affairs, taking issue with Kenyans' recent “lack of integrity” in their conduct.
Kenyan activists, including Boniface Mwangi, Hussein Khalid, and Hanifa Adan, were in Tanzania to show solidarity with opposition leader Tundu Lissu during his treason trial. Several of them, including Martha Karua, were denied entry at the airport and deported back to Nairobi.
Boniface Mwangi, who had gained entry, was apprehended at Serena Hotel in Dar es Salaam alongside Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire. So far, his whereabouts are yet to be revealed, and efforts are ongoing to locate him.
