Tanzania MP Engages Kenyan Gen Zs Amid Cross-Border Backlash Over Activists’ Deportation
Tanzania’s Iringa Town MP Jesca Msambatavangu has responded warmly to a wave of messages from Kenyan youth, following her comments on the controversial arrest and deportation of two East African activists from Tanzania.
The backlash began after Tanzanian lawmakers defended President Samia Suluhu Hassan over her administration’s handling of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire. The duo had travelled to Tanzania to monitor the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu but were detained without communication, reportedly mistreated, and then deported on May 18—a move that sparked outrage across East Africa.
As tensions escalated, Kenyan Gen Zs took to social media platform X, sharing contact information of Tanzanian MPs and bombarding them with messages of protest. Msambatavangu, however, took the unusual step of engaging the critics directly.
“I thank our Kenyan brothers and sisters. We were chatting until 3 a.m. before I paused to attend parliamentary duties,” Msambatavangu said, revealing that she had stayed up overnight conversing with the flood of Kenyan messages.
She encouraged the youth to create a WhatsApp group to ease communication and pledged to engage with them in a live online session scheduled for Saturday. “To those praising or criticising us, we must counter ideas with ideas,” she added. “Kenyans are our neighbours, our brothers, and we cannot ignore each other.”
Her diplomatic stance stood in sharp contrast to the more combative tone adopted by Geita MP Joseph Musukuma, who accused Kenyans of meddling in Tanzania’s internal affairs and downplayed the criticism. “We are far ahead of them politically and intellectually. We top in everything. Speaking good English isn’t a priority for us,” Musukuma scoffed.
Meanwhile, DRC MP Msambatavangu’s tone was hailed by some Kenyans as a model for leadership and intergenerational engagement.
This growing youth-led digital diplomacy highlights the evolving dynamics of East African politics, where social media increasingly shapes public discourse, cross-border relations, and citizen engagement.
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Tanzania MP Engages Kenyan Gen Zs Amid Cross-Border Backlash Over Activists’ Deportation