Gakuya slams Samia Suluhu over Tanzania protest remarks

Embakasi North Member of Parliament James Gakuya has scoffed at Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan over her remarks blaming outsiders for fueling the recent anti-government protests in Tanzania.

Also Watch: Samia Suluhu appeals for calm, calls on protesters to embrace dialogue

In an interview on a local TV station on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Gakuya accused President Suluhu of displaying what he termed a total disregard for democracy and human life, following her claim that the protests were orchestrated by foreigners.

“I cannot press any justification to support one who has shown such a face of dictatorship. It is on record that she caused Kenya, Kenyans a chance to even go to Tanzania when her team at one time went to represent one opposition candidate who was behind the bus. She made sure that strong opposition leaders and their parties were not on a good path during the election.”

Also Watch: Political Turmoil Drives Tanzanians Across the Border to Kenya

Suluhu, during her swearing-in ceremony on Monday, November 3, 2025, blamed foreigners for the deadly protests following a disputed election in which two main opposition candidates were barred from challenging her bid for another term.

“Wote tunaoitakia mema nchi hii, tumehuzunishwa na matukio ya uvunjifu wa amani, upotevu wa maisha na uharibifu wa mali kwenye baadhi ya maeneo. Kilichotokea hakiendani na taswira na sifa za Kitanzania, na sio Utanzania. Haikutushangaza kuona kuwa baadhi ya vijana waliokamatwa wametoka nje ya Tanzania,”she said.

 Inhumane

However, Gakuya has dismissed Suluhu’s remarks, saying it was inhumane to dismiss citizens’ grievances by blaming neighbouring countries.

 “How can you tell us people from Uganda or from the borders of Kenya to Tanzania are the ones protesting?” he asked.

“You should put everything on the table and tell us how many Kenyans or Ugandans you found in those demonstrations so that you can call them outsiders.”

A regional African bloc, meanwhile, said the polls had fallen short of its standards for democratic elections.

The ceremony was held at a military parade ground under tight security and attended only by invited leaders. There was no public attendance, but the event was broadcast live by the state-run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC). The swearing-in came after days of tension and violent protests across parts of the country, with the opposition rejecting the election results as a sham.

Dictatorship in EAC?

The legislator accused the Tanzanian government of sliding into dictatorship, warning that such trends threatened the democratic fabric of the East African region.

“What we are witnessing is that three East African countries have made a decision that they will rule on a digital regime a dictatorship,” he said.

“It is totally wrong to use the military to suppress citizens while claiming victory with 98 per cent of the vote. That is not democracy, that is oppression.”

Gakuya called for respect for human rights and accountability within the region, saying democracy must not be reduced to a prison.

“If you do not care about thousands of people dead in what you are calling an election, you are totally inhuman. This is a very bad lesson for East Africa. We should be borrowing elements of democracy, not dictatorship,” he said.

He urged regional leaders to stand firm in defending democratic values and to reject any attempts to silence dissent through fear or force.

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