Tanzania’s Iringa Town Member of Parliament Jesca Msambatavangu has struck a conciliatory tone amid a heated diplomatic storm between Tanzanian lawmakers and Kenya’s Gen Z activists. The tensions follow the controversial arrest and deportation of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire in Tanzania last month.
The pair had traveled to observe the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, but were reportedly detained without communication, mistreated, and then deported. Their treatment drew swift condemnation from East Africans and international observers, triggering a digital revolt led by young Kenyans on the social platform X.
In protest, Kenyans shared the contact details of several Tanzanian legislators, including Msambatavangu, bombarding them with WhatsApp messages expressing outrage. But rather than reacting with hostility, Msambatavangu chose engagement.
“I thank our Kenyan brothers and sisters. We were chatting until 3 a.m. before I paused to attend parliamentary duties,” she said, acknowledging the passionate concern from Kenyan youth. She encouraged the creation of a WhatsApp group to streamline discussions and promised to join a live session with them on Saturday.
“To those praising or criticising us, we must counter ideas with ideas,” she added, emphasizing that Kenyans and Tanzanians are more than neighbours—they are bound by shared regional ties that cannot be ignored.
Her approach contrasted starkly with the rhetoric of fellow Tanzanian MP Joseph Musukuma of Geita, who in Parliament dismissed Kenyan concerns as mere “online noise” and asserted Tanzanian superiority, saying, “We are far ahead of them politically and intellectually.”
The diverging responses highlight a deepening rift in East African regional politics. While some leaders push back against external criticism under the guise of sovereignty, others, like Msambatavangu, are choosing diplomacy and dialogue with the region’s vocal youth.
As the situation continues to unfold, Msambatavangu’s openness to conversation offers a glimmer of hope for bridging cross-border tensions demonstrating that even in times of political discord, constructive engagement remains possible.
