Kenyan President William Ruto has issued a public apology to Tanzania, aiming to ease rising diplomatic tensions triggered by the recent detention and deportation of East African activists from Tanzanian soil. Speaking at Kenya’s National Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, Ruto addressed both Tanzanian officials and Kenya’s youth. “To our neighbours from Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, forgive us,” Ruto said. “If there is anything that Kenyans have done that is not right, we want to apologise.”
The tensions stemmed from the May 2025 arrest and deportation of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan lawyer Agather Atuhaire, who had travelled to Tanzania to observe the court proceedings of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. The two activists later alleged that they were detained incommunicado, tortured, and abandoned at the border — claims that sparked regional and international outrage. In response, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan warned foreign activists not to meddle in her country’s internal affairs. Tanzanian MPs also condemned online attacks from Kenyan social media users, labeling them as cyberbullying and disrespectful.
The backlash led to a digital war between citizens of both nations, with some Kenyans leaking MPs’ phone numbers and bombarding them with messages. Tanzanian MP Jesca Msambatavangu confirmed receiving hundreds of WhatsApp messages but welcomed the cross-border engagement, suggesting the formation of a WhatsApp group for dialogue. “Kenyans are our neighbours, our brothers, and we cannot ignore each other,” she said. Ruto also took the opportunity to apologize to Gen-Z Kenyans, who have criticized his leadership since the 2023 anti-tax protests. Some youth activists dismissed his remarks as insufficient, calling instead for his resignation.
The Tanzanian government has yet to respond to the activists’ torture claims, but the incident has underscored the fragile nature of East African diplomacy, particularly around issues of freedom of expression and political accountability.
