Tanzanian politician and activist Mdude Nyagali was on Monday left stranded for hours at the Kenya-Tanzania border amid reports that he had been blocked from leaving the country.
In a post, the politician claimed that he had been detained at the border for over eight hours by Tanzanian immigration officials, beginning at 8 am, who actively stopped him from entering Kenya.
According to Nyagali's account, he was asked to present his travel documents which were thoroughly inspected by the officers who would later decline to hand over the documents back to him.
The officers, plainly stated that they had orders to stop the politician from leaving Tanzania.
"They claim that I have been banned from travelling outside Tanzania. When I enquired further I was told that the directions came from 'above'," he stated.
He was informed that he required a special permit to travel to Kenya. Nyagali lamented that this was a new requirement introduced to hinder his travel plans.
Nyagali who is a member of the Tanzanian opposition party CHEDEMA, was interrogated for hours before being handed off to other officers who eventually allowed him to enter Kenya.
Even then, the new set of officers still harassed him insisting that the politician needed a letter from the police to be allowed to proceed.
Nyagali complained that the delay was costing him a lot since he had hired a vehicle to use in Kenya which he was being charged by the hour.
"My work schedule in Nairobi has also been severely impacted, for I expected to get there at 9 am and now it's 4 pm and I'm not there yet," he stated.
After sharing his predicament online, Nyagali's fellow activists called for his release and authorisation to cross over to Kenya.
He was allowed to travel to Kenya at 5 pm, after spending hours at the border.
"I have been allowed to continue with my journey to Kenya. I thank you Tanzanians for speaking up for me," he announced.
The activist termed the developments as an attempt to frustrate him due to his political stand and affiliations. Nyagali emphasised that he had every right to travel outside Tanzania and anywhere within his country.
Nyagali has been an active critic of the government. In 2023 he was arrested for announcing nationwide demonstrations.
