Tanzanian Home Affairs Minister Innocent Bashungwa has warned that Tanzanians who share content made outside Tanzania, especially content that criticizes President Samia Suluhu, could be arrested and face legal action.
The minister made this statement on Monday, May 26, while presenting his ministry’s budget for the 2025/26 financial year.
He urged police officers to work closely with the Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) to identify and take action against Tanzanians who spread foreign content on social media that paints the President in a negative light.
The minister stressed that even if the harmful content comes from outside Tanzania, those who share it within the country are still breaking the law and will be dealt with accordingly.
Minister Bashungwa told Members of Parliament that they have personally seen the positive developments President Suluhu has brought to the country.
Therefore, Tanzania will not tolerate any form of cyberbullying or negative attacks against her, regardless of where the content originates.
He said, “We have noticed that some people are using social media platforms to insult our president. Even if this content was created outside the country, Tanzanians are sharing it here and contributing to cyberbullying.
I want to take this opportunity to direct the Inspector General of Police, Camillus Wambura, to continue working with TCRA to find these people and ensure they face the law. It is not acceptable for anyone to share content meant to harm our country.”
The minister also asked police leaders and the Inspector General to carefully review the situation, identify any problems, and report back to Parliament so that the right measures can be taken.
These statements come at a time of rising tensions between Tanzania and Kenya. On the same day, Tanzanian MPs used the parliamentary session to criticize Kenya sharply.
They accused Kenyan youths of spreading false information about President Suluhu on social media.
Jesca Msambatavangu, the MP for Iringa Urban District, claimed that Kenyan youths were using social media to attack their government and had begun targeting neighboring countries like Tanzania under the pretense of promoting democracy.
She said, “To our brothers in Kenya, let’s show respect. We respect your President William Ruto very much, but please, do something that is not bullying disguised as democracy.”
She expressed concern over Kenya’s political situation and said it was worrying that young people were clashing with police during protests and then helping the police afterward, which she found strange.
Another MP, Maryam Omar Said from Pandani, expressed regret that Kenyan human rights defenders like Martha Karua and others had been deported from Tanzania without facing harsh treatment first.
Just over a week ago, Karua, together with activists Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi, were deported nearly six hours after arriving at Julius Nyerere International Airport.
Shortly after, on May 19, former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and activists Hussein Khalid and Hanifa Adan were also sent out of Tanzania.
In contrast, activist Boniface Mwangi, who managed to enter Tanzania, disappeared for three days and was reportedly tortured during his detention.
The harsh treatment of these Kenyan activists has caused an uproar in Kenya, escalating tensions and leading to sharp exchanges online.
Many young Kenyans have been vocal in defending their president and criticizing Tanzania’s actions against their citizens. This online conflict has worsened the already strained relationship between the two neighboring countries.
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