Tanzanian Member of Parliament (MP) Jesca Msambatavangu has slammed the Kenyan Generation Z youths, accusing them of insulting people on social media platforms.
This comes amid an online war between the Kenyan and Tanzanian citizens over the deportation of high-profile leaders who had travelled to Tanzania to attend opposition leader Tundu Lissu’s case upon the invitation of the East Africa Law Society last week.
Speaking during the 19th parliamentary session on Monday, May 26, 2025, Msambatavangu stated that Tanzania has taught its young people patriotism and bravery passed on from their forefathers.
“I saw some Kenyans claiming that Tanzanian Gen Zs are lazy and silent. I want to tell them our Gen Zs have learnt from their fathers. We’ve taught them patriotism, bravery and how to make money, not instigating people on social media,” she stated.
Further, she stated that the Tanzanian young population will not unite to bring instability in their own country as they have been taught peace and calmness.
“Our youth will not unite with useless things because peace brings rights. Our children are calm and have hope because they were brought up in peace and righteousness.”
“We have rights in Tanzania. The challenges we are facing as a country are normal occurrences that even families face,” she added.
Detention
Former Chief Justice (CJ) Willy Mutunga, alongside activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid, was detained in Tanzania on May 19, 2025.
In a statement on X, activist Adan revealed that they had been held and left stranded at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
“We’ve been held at Julius Nyerere International Airport since 2 a.m. The terminals are deserted, the floors are cold, and we’re hungry. Everyone seems to have gone to sleep, leaving us stranded. I’m genuinely asking, what is President Samia so afraid of? This situation is utterly absurd,” she lamented.
On the other hand, her counterpart, Hussein Khalid, revealed on X that they didn’t have their passports and were being held in an interrogation room.
“Following our detention, we’ve been brought to the interrogation room. They’ve told us to wait here for their senior officer – I guess the chief interrogator! We still don’t have our passports, nor do we know why we’re being detained,” he stated
This came hours after the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua, alongside human rights defenders and lawyers Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi, was detained at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Tanzania on May 18, 2025.
