Cases in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have raised fears about regional trends

Kenya’s recent wave of repression has been hit, undermining its reputation as a beacon of democracy in East Africa.

Critics fear it is sliding down the neighbor’s route – Uganda and Tanzania, both notorious for fighting dissent.

Kenya’s laws are widely considered progressive – especially in protecting fundamental freedoms such as the right to protest.

But Kenya has witnessed more and more protests – the latest example is Nationally, at least 10 people have demonstrated against the William Ruto administration When it attempts to ban live TV and broadcast coverage of protests.

“Rogue regime” – Headlines in Kenya’s respected Standard newspaper declared that young people were flooded with streets by people shot dead a year ago during a massive anti-tax demonstration, but “they didn’t listen to the ears meet razors, armored trucks, armored trucks and suppressed cold grippers”.

But, in the case of Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, the police showed “significant restraint” when they foiled the “attempted coup.”

“We condemn criminal anarchists for releasing violence, robbery, sexual assault and destruction of our people in the name of peaceful demonstrations,” he said.

However, the Kenya Bar Association (LSK) condemned the police for handling the protests.

It says: “In a free democratic society, meaningless aggression and brute force achieved by meaningless property destruction,” it has no status. ”

Only a few weeks later A 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang, died in police custody. An autopsy found that he was accused of defaming a senior police officer and arrested for detaining the attack on the wound.

His death sparked a small protest in the capital Nairobi, where police caught police officers and a street vendor arrested in a firefight – shooting at close range, fighting for his hospital.

LSK condemned his shooting that was not suitable for “any sane democracy.”

Its comments have attracted the focus of Kenya’s potential to lose the democratic status envied by many Tanzanians and Ugandans.

Tanzanians have long had “appreciation” in Kenyans’ ability to “tell the truth to power”, said Nicodemus Minde, a political analyst in Tanzania.

That’s the view of Tundu Lissu, the leading opposition leader in Tanzania, who told the BBC last year that “we have an urgent need for democratic reforms”.

“What Kenya does to build a democratic space is what we need to do,” he said.

Miraculously survived the attempt to be shot 16 times in 2017, Lissu has become a symbol of the repression of Tanzania.

He is currently in custody and charged with treason To gather his supporters under the slogan “No reform; no election.”

The government believes this is a attempt by Lissu to launch a rebellion – if convicted, he could be sentenced to death.

The 57-year-old opposition leader believes his detention is an attempt by the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party (which has been in power since independence in 1961) to clear its path to victory in presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October.

His chadema party has been strengthening this view No participation in opinion polls After refusing to sign an election as a code of conduct, it believes that it will undermine its right to run freely.

The opposition in Uganda saw itself in similar situations, pointing out that President Yoweri Museveni has been in power for nearly 40 years and – With his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba – In the elections held in early 2026, political competitors are being attacked.

Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye has been in custody since November, and the government hopes he will be treason in military court after accusing him of planning to overthrow the government – an allegation he denied.

Despite Kenya’s independent judiciary and regular elections for those who lead to power protests, Martha Karua is one of the most respected human rights lawyers in the country, former attorney general and leader of the small opposition party – arguing that democracy is threatened in all three East African countries.

“We are staring at regional crises – not in economic crises, not in trade crises, but in democracy itself,” she said in a recent press conference.

A radical like her was shocked by the fact that More than 80 Kenyans have been kidnapped in the past year In those who have never identified themselves, there are concerns that this is the latest government’s strategy to protest tax increases amid the protest cost crisis.

There is also growing evidence that Kenya is no longer a safe haven for Ugandans and Tanzanians, and security agencies from three states have clearly colluded to combat the opposition.

Besigye made a book release in Nairobi when he disappeared in November – Only four days later, a military court in Uganda emerged.

Uganda’s government accused him of trying to conduct an arms deal in Kenya to launch an insurgency and said he had been arrested in a cross-border operation on Kenya’s intelligence services.

The Kenyan government initially denied this, saying it was not aware of Uganda’s actions on the soil, although Kenya’s foreign minister recently told local media that there were “some problems” about Besigi’s visit to Kenya and “he had to go”. He did not elaborate on it.

About two months after Besigye’s ordeal, exiled Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai said she was kidnapped by armed men in Nairobi and then, fortunately, she released her for several hours later.

Ms. Tsehai said She was manipulated and suffocated by four attackers who forced her into the vehicle.

“I’m sure the reason for the kidnapping was access to my social media and (due to) the reporting work I did,” she said.

Ms. Tsehai is a staunch critic of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and accused her government of bringing “tyranny back” to the country back to the country, although she is expected to take office in 2021 after the death of her authoritative former predecessor John Magufuli.

Karua said that despite East Africa’s democracy and human rights “retreat”, internationally, there is no concern about this international focus, the African Union is “silenced”, the United Nations provides “rhetoric – not correction”, while the United States – “self-declared freedom champion” – faces “freedom of freedom” among Donald Dortald’s ace.

Tanzania flew to the country in May, expelling Karua and two Kenyan activistswhile Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan lawyer Agather Atuhaire were allowed to enter and were detained after being detained.

After release, Both of them accused Tanzanian police of sexually abused them.

Tanzanian police denied the allegation, but President Samia issued a clear warning amid strong protests on detention and deportation of foreign activists.

“If they are included in their own country, don’t come here to intervene. Let’s not give them the chance. They have caused chaos in their own country,” she said.

To the frustration of activists, Kenyan President Ruto failed to condemn the alleged abuse and apologized to the Tanzanian government.

“For our neighbors from Tanzania, please forgive us if we aggrieved you in any way,” he said.

“If anything Kenyans do is wrong, we have to apologize.”

Kenya international relations professor Macharia Munene told the BBC that Ruto’s apology stems from the reasons he “thinks that people (Kenians) were unable to be controlled.”

He added that the Tanzanian government has become a “jitter” for Kenyan activists to the potential impact of October’s general election, and Ruto’s government is under pressure to “retain trouble manufacturers.”

For Kenyan activists, the worsening of the crackdown in the three states only strengthened their determination to fight back.

Mwangi, one of Kenya’s most prominent human rights campaigners, concluded: “If these people unite to oppress their citizens, then we must work together to remove them from power.”