Ruto accused of ignoring Kenyans safety for the sake of trade deals

President William Ruto is in a spot for prioritising diplomatic relations between Kenya and Tanzania over the lives of Kenyans.

Human rights defenders and politicians say it is unpatriotic for the President to visit Tanzania and fail to defend Kenyans who were killed, tortured or deported last year.

In May, Tanzanian authorities detained and deported Kenyans, including Martha Karua, former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, and activist Boniface Mwangi, ahead of a court appearance for opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

The individuals were held at the Julius Nyerere International Airport and denied entry to support Tanzanian human rights defenders, citing solidarity with those facing treason charges.

President Samia Suluhu's administration tortured Mwangi for days before  abandoning him at the border.

Human rights activist Mwabili Mwagodi was also a victim of cross-border abduction. He was seized in Dar es Salaam by State agents, detained for three days, and injected with an unknown substance. He was later dumped in Diani, weak, incoherent, and in visible pain.

Two more Kenyans were killed while in Tanzania and one family is yet to recover the body of their kin, a teacher, after he was reportedly shot dead. John Okoth Ogutu, a 33-year-old teacher at Sky Schools in Dar es Salaam, was shot dead by police on October 29 in Goba, Ubungo District.

Months after the killing, the family is yet to locate his body, raising questions whether he was among the killed protesters who were buried in mass graves in Tanzania.

Prime Cabinet Secretary and CS for Diaspora and Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi confirmed in November that at least two Kenyans, including Ogutu, were killed in Tanzania, but their bodies could not be traced.

And now, Ruto’s critics argue that the President would have used his visit to address the torture and illegal detention of Kenyan citizens.

Kamau Ngugi, the chairperson of East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network, noted that the President prioritised trade agreements and not the well-being of his fellow countrymen.

“I was very disappointed that the President never condemned the atrocities meted out on his citizens. Although the East African treaty incorporates trade as an important component, it also features the protection of fundamental human rights as a key component,” Ngugi noted.

He accused the Ruto administration of betraying Kenyans by failing to condemn repressive tactics used by Tanzania.

At the height of Tanzania protests, Suluhu suggested that it was Kenyans who wanted to destabilise his administration through mass action.

And during Ruto’s State visit this week, Suluhu justified State repression against Gen Z while describing them as unruly children, with human right defenders accusing Ruto of remaining silent.

President Suluhu stated that the dissenting youth should be "whipped", arguing that they risk destabilising governments.

In direct remarks that pointed to coordinated state action against dissent, Suluhu told Ruto; “We should not care whether they are Kenyan or Tanzanian citizens. If they come to Tanzania, I will whip them, and when they come to you, whip them so that we can align them.

“This way we will have a community that has people who are respectful and properly disciplined.” 

Suluhu spoke barely a week after Tanzania’s Commission of Inquiry released a report revealing that at least 518 people were killed during and post-elections violence that erupted after the General Election in October.

Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president, Faith Odhiambo, also criticised Ruto and Suluhu, terming their leadership a dictatorship.

“When two Heads of State meet to discuss how to whip and discipline citizens demanding accountability, we’ve crossed from democracy into dictatorship. President Suluhu’s call for President Ruto to join her in suppressing Gen Zs is a conspiracy against constitutional rights,” she said.

"The audacity to frame calls for good governance as notorious behaviour that must be tamed is an insult to every freedom our constitution’s guarantee. Democracy is anchored on the fundamental pillars of the rule of law, human rights and accountable leadership. These aren’t negotiable.”

Pan African Solidarity network, a collective of civil society actors, defenders of human rights and democracy through activist Geoffrey Mboya condemned the two Presidents and vowed to continue agitating for democracy despite the repression by the leaders.

“We are not threatened by your calls for transnational violence and brutal repression, and your appeal for the suspension of the rule of law in East Africa. Weshall continue to defend our hard-earned freedoms and what remains of democracy in East Africa,” the activists said.

“Kenyans are being told that the same tactics that led to mass murder in Tanzania are acceptable and should be adopted here. They are not, and we shall not be silent. Nor shall we allow Suluhu's idea of "democracy" to be normalized, and left unchecked.”