Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has issued a strong warning Samia warns Kenyans about Tanzania’s election message, cautioning citizens from neighbouring Kenya against crossing the border to stir unrest ahead of the October 2025 polls and promising severe repercussions for any meddling in the nation’s democratic process.
Speaking at a packed rally in Dar es Salaam on October 28, 2025, the 65-year-old leader, clad in her signature kanga print, addressed rumours of Kenyan activists plotting solidarity marches; her tone was a blend of sisterly concern and steely resolve.
“Our shared blood across the frontier binds us, but interference crosses a red line. Come as friends for trade or tourism, but not to disrupt our vote. The consequences will be tough and swift,” she declared to cheers from a crowd waving CCM flags under the humid coastal sun.
The alert follows a spike in online chatter, where Kenyan Gen Z groups on X and TikTok have floated “border watch” caravans to support Tanzania’s opposition CHADEMA amid fears of a repeat of 2020’s crackdowns.
But Samia’s preemptive strike, delivered amid rising tensions, shows her administration’s pivot from reformer to guardian, balancing reforms with iron-fisted stability.
Back in Nairobi, reactions split like the Usambara hills. Opposition MP Babu Owino, fresh from his math tutoring gigs, tweeted support for the visits: “EAC is family; we’ll stand with Tanzanian youth against gagging.”
Kenyan truckers along the Namanga route, hauling maize and soda, shrug off the drama over roadside chapatis: “Borders are for business, not brawls.” The last thing we need is checkpoints doubling.”
Tanzania’s elections, with CCM eyeing a seventh term and first for Samia, pit her against Tundu Lissu’s fiery comeback bid, promising a youthquake in a nation where 70 percent are under 30.
Samia’s words echo her May 2025 broadside towards Kenyan “meddlers”, when she vowed sovereignty shields against external whispers. That time, it cooled cross-border NGO flows; now, with polls days away, it’s a velvet hammer.
Rights groups like ARTICLE 19 hail the dialogue spark but warn of overreach: “Warnings are fair, but arbitrary arrests chill free speech.”
In Zanzibar’s spice-scented alleys, where voter turnout dipped to 50 per cent last cycle, locals eye Kenyan kin with wary warmth. “They fought their taxes; we fight for fair counts. But crossing? That’s inviting the wolves,” mused a clove farmer over coconut water.