Tanzania’s opposition politician Godbless Lema was on Friday barred from crossing into Kenya, in what he has described as a politically motivated move to silence dissenting voices ahead of the country’s October elections.
Lema, a senior member of the main opposition party Chadema, said he was stopped at the Namanga border post and held for more than four hours by Tanzanian authorities. According to the veteran politician, officials informed him that he was on a government “stop list,” preventing him from leaving the country. His passport was confiscated, and he was subsequently ordered to return to Arusha.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lema said he was travelling to Nairobi to seek medical attention when the incident occurred. He termed the move a “targeted crackdown” by President Samia Suluhu’s administration on opposition figures and critics of the government.
“After waiting for more than 4 hours, I have officially been denied entry to Kenya. My passport has been taken away and I am now expected to go back to Arusha. I hope this persecution will end with us and should not be passed down to our children,” Lema wrote.
The development has drawn attention to what many observers see as a shrinking democratic space in Tanzania. Lema was previously forced into exile in 2020 during a wave of opposition crackdowns under the late President John Magufuli’s regime. Although he returned following promises of reform by President Samia, recent actions suggest that the political environment remains tense and hostile for critics.
Lema’s ordeal comes just days after reports emerged that Kenyan activists who had travelled to Tanzania were arrested, tortured, and later deported by state authorities. The back-to-back incidents raise concerns over cross-border repression and increasing authoritarian tendencies in the East African nation.
Chadema and other civil society groups have condemned the move, calling for immediate intervention and urging the Tanzanian government to uphold the rights of its citizens, including the freedom of movement.
As Tanzania gears up for its general election in October, the international community and regional actors will be watching closely to see whether President Samia follows through on her earlier pledges of democratic reforms—or reverts to the repressive tactics of her predecessor.
