Khalid dismisses claims that they travelled to Tanzania to meddle in local affairs
Vocal Africa Chief Executive Officer Hussein Khalid has dismissed allegations by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu that he and other activists travelled to Tanzania to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.
Speaking on a local media station on May 24, 2025, Khalid defended the delegation’s visit, stating that their presence in the country was purely to observe court proceedings against Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu at the invitation of Tanzanian civil society organisations.
“We were not meddling in any way. We were simply going there to observe after we were invited by Tanzanian civil society, the Tanganyika Law Society and others,” he stated.
Lissu was charged with treason in April 2025 after his party, Chadema, expressed its opposition to the general elections scheduled for October 2025, citing the need for reforms before the elections could take place.
Khalid emphasised that their primary objective was to support judicial integrity by ensuring there was no undue interference in Lissu’s trial.
“We were there to help in terms of ensuring that the court process moves on as expected and to apply pressure so that there is no interference in what Tundu Lissu is facing,” he explained.
EAC framework
Khalid further criticised the deportation of the Kenyan delegation, arguing that it contradicted the spirit of regional cooperation as enshrined in the East African Community (EAC) framework, which guarantees free movement of people and services among member states.
“If you look at the top of our passports, the topmost part is written East African Community. So the idea is that there is free movement of persons and goods across the borders. And it should be open to anyone and everyone,” Khalid asserted.
The human rights activist drew parallels with how Kenyan parliamentarians regularly travel internationally to support cases at the International Criminal Court, questioning why similar solidarity visits within East Africa should be restricted.
“A good example is Kenya’s parliamentarians. When someone has a case at the ICC, you know how they travel in hordes overseas, to go and just witness and give support and stand in solidarity. So how is it that we can do that all the way in Europe, in The Hague, but we can’t do that in East Africa, where we have a cooperation agreement,” he argued.
Suluhu’s stance
Khalid’s remarks came days after President Suluhu accused foreign activists of interfering in Tanzanian affairs under the guise of human rights advocacy.
Speaking at the launch of Tanzania’s new foreign policy on May 19, 2025, at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre in Dar es Salaam, Suluhu warned that such conduct would not be tolerated.
“We have started to see the behaviour of activists invading our affairs here. If they have been controlled in their countries, they should not come and destroy us here,” Suluhu said in Swahili.
“Tanzania is among the few countries still enjoying peace. Let us not give room to undisciplined people from other countries to come and disrupt us,” she added.
