President William Ruto of Kenya is facing mounting criticism for his silence amid a wave of cross-border abductions and reported killings of Kenyan citizens in Tanzania, incidents that have ignited outrage and concern both domestically and internationally. The Justice and Freedom Party (JFP), a prominent opposition group in Kenya, has accused Ruto of presiding over what they call a reckless foreign policy, one that is eroding the country's standing on the global stage and leaving its citizens vulnerable to abuses abroad.
The controversy comes in the wake of chaotic post-election protests in Tanzania, where reports have surfaced of killings and arbitrary arrests targeting Kenyans. According to the Associated Press, the United Nations intervened on November 11, 2025, calling for a thorough investigation into the deaths of what are believed to be hundreds, if not thousands, of people during the unrest that followed Tanzania’s disputed October 29 election. The main Tanzanian opposition party, Chadema, claims that about 2,000 people were killed over just three days of protests, a staggering figure that has yet to be officially addressed by Tanzanian authorities.
Volker Türk, the U.N. human rights chief, did not mince words. He highlighted "an apparent attempt to conceal evidence," referencing reports that Tanzanian police had been removing bodies from mortuaries and transferring them to undisclosed locations. Türk urged authorities to release the bodies to families for proper funerals, a basic right in the face of such tragedy. The U.N. also expressed frustration at its inability to verify the death toll due to a volatile security situation and a six-day internet shutdown imposed by the Tanzanian government after the election.
Adding to the tension, disturbing videos surfaced online showing people apparently being shot by security officers. These videos only became public after internet connectivity was restored, but Tanzanian authorities quickly responded with warnings: anyone sharing images or videos of the dead could face arrest and treason charges. In fact, hundreds of people have already been charged with treason in connection with the anti-government protests, according to AP reporting. The Chadema party leader, Tundu Lissu, is among those facing such charges, and his trial was postponed on November 10, 2025, due to what prosecutors described as security concerns.
The political landscape in Tanzania remains fraught. On November 11, newly elected members of parliament from the October 29 election were sworn in, with the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party maintaining an overwhelming majority. The opposition, meanwhile, has been left battered and marginalized, with many of its leaders behind bars or facing serious charges. The government’s heavy-handed response to dissent has drawn condemnation from human rights organizations worldwide, and the U.N. rights office has demanded the unconditional release of all detained opposition officials.
Back in Kenya, the situation has sparked a furious response from opposition leaders and civil society groups, who accuse President Ruto of failing to defend Kenyan citizens caught up in the turmoil. At the JFP National Delegates Conference in Nairobi, party chairman Justus Juma did not hold back. "Recently you've seen our neighbour now using Kenya as a bogeyman to escape civil rights and human rights accountability. Some are even proposing that they are freezing Kenyans in treaties in our neighbourhood," Juma declared, as reported by local outlets. He went further, making the grave allegation: "Tanzania is killing Kenyans and roasting them day and night. Even as they kill their own people, the accusation and the blame is always on Kenya."
The JFP’s criticism doesn’t stop at foreign policy. They have also lambasted the Kenya Kwanza administration for what they describe as entrenched corruption and fiscal mismanagement, which they argue has led to ballooning national debt and a denial of essential services to ordinary Kenyans. Juma questioned the rationale behind the government’s loan agreements: "Why were these loans taken? Why were high-interest terms approved? And what tangible benefits have they brought to our people?" He pledged that the party would pursue the death penalty for any public officials found guilty of corruption, a bold and controversial stance aimed at addressing what he called "years of unresolved corruption, negligence and deliberate mismanagement" that have "crippled our nation's prosperity."
The sense of frustration is compounded by recent events involving the abduction of two Kenyan activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, who were seized in Uganda on October 1, 2025, while visiting Kampala to support opposition politician Bobi Wine. The pair was detained for 39 days before being released on November 8, 2025. Their ordeal, according to Juma, was made worse by the Kenyan president’s lack of response. "Yoweri Museveni of Uganda openly says that he kept Kenyans in a fridge. Yet we have a president who is not even responding. He doesn't even care. We are concerned about the serious reckless foreign policy," Juma said, echoing the sentiments of many Kenyans who feel abandoned by their own leadership.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, for his part, admitted that the two activists had been held by the Ugandan military, describing them in a live interview as "experts in riots" who had been "put in the fridge for some days." This admission came after Ugandan authorities had previously denied any knowledge of Njagi and Oyoo’s whereabouts, a denial that led to a Ugandan court dismissing a habeas corpus petition for their release.
The regional picture is thus one of escalating tension and mutual suspicion. In Tanzania, the government’s refusal to release an official death toll, its crackdown on dissent, and its efforts to control the narrative by restricting internet access and threatening those who share evidence of abuses have drawn widespread condemnation. The U.N.’s call for an investigation and the release of detained opposition figures underscores the severity of the crisis. In Kenya, meanwhile, the government’s perceived inaction in the face of abuses against its citizens abroad has become a rallying point for the opposition, who see it as symptomatic of a broader pattern of neglect and mismanagement at home.
As the dust settles from the recent elections and protests, the people of East Africa are left grappling with profound questions about accountability, governance, and the protection of basic human rights. The calls for investigation and reform are growing louder, and the political fallout is likely to reverberate for months to come.
For now, the silence from Kenya’s highest office continues to fuel anger and uncertainty, while the region waits to see whether international scrutiny and domestic pressure will lead to meaningful change—or whether the cycle of violence, impunity, and mistrust will simply repeat itself.
