Tanzanian opposition figure and Chadema party stalwart Godbless Lema was on Friday denied exit from Tanzania as he attempted to cross into Kenya for urgent medical treatment.
Lema, a vocal critic of President Samia Suluhu’s administration, revealed that he was held at the Namanga border post for over four hours before being ordered to return to Arusha.
His passport was confiscated, and border officials informed him that he had been placed on a “stop list” — a designation that effectively blocks him from leaving the country.
The former Arusha MP took to social media platform X to decry what he described as “a targeted political crackdown,” accusing the Suluhu government of silencing opposition voices ahead of the upcoming October general elections.
“After waiting for more than 4 hours, I have officially been denied entry to Kenya. My passport has been taken away and I am now expected to go back to Arusha…I hope this persecution will end with us and should not be passed down to our children,” Lema posted.
Lema, who previously fled into exile in 2020, returned to Tanzania in 2023 following promises of political reforms. However, recent developments suggest a tightening grip on dissent. His ordeal follows the arrest and deportation of Kenyan human rights activists from Tanzanian soil last month, raising regional concerns over cross-border suppression.
In a related incident, controversial Tanzanian MP and preacher Bishop Josephat Gwajima’s church was shuttered after he demanded an end to enforced disappearances.
As the October elections draw closer, fears are mounting over the shrinking democratic space in Tanzania, with critics warning of a return to authoritarian tactics.
