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Friday, 6 November 2026

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Kenyan press · Person

Tundu Lissu

Tundu Lissu — Head of Tanzania's opposition Chadema party, detained since April 2025 and facing treason trial for allegedly inciting election boycotts.

2026-05-042026-11-06

News reports

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In coverage

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November 2026
6 NovCapital News
NAIROBI,Kenya, Nov 6-Chief Justice David Maraga has called for the unconditional acquittal of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, accusing East African governments of increasingly using treason and terrorism charges to silence political opponents and suppress dissent. …
Maraga demands Lissu’s acquittal, accuses East African govts of weaponising treason charges
October 2026
29 OctThe Standard
… Subscribe to our newsletterAnother potential flashpoint is the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, whose verdict is due on November 6.Lissu, who staged a hunger strike this week to demand access to his lawyer, was arrested ahead of the election for championing a "no r …
'My blood was spilled here': a year on, Tanzania unable to mourn election violence
29 OctThe Standard
… Last year, Kenyan rights activist Boniface Mwangi was kidnapped after travelling to Tanzania to support opposition figure Tundu Lissu, who is on trial for treason. …
Cross-border abductions threaten Kenya's status as dissident refuge
29 OctThe Standard
… Subscribe to our newsletterAnother potential flashpoint is the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, whose verdict is due on November 6.Lissu, who began a hunger strike this week to demand access to his lawyer, was arrested ahead of the election for championing a "no re …
A year on, Tanzanians mourn election massacres in 'state of terror'
25 OctCitizen Digital
Jailed Tanzania opposition leader vows hunger strike By AFP October 25, 2026 10:09 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu stands in the dock at Kisutu magistrate's cou …
Jailed Tanzania opposition leader vows hunger strike
25 OctThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeDetained Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu plans to go on a hunger strike on Monday to demand that prison authorities allow him to privately meet his lawyers, his party said. …
Tundu Lissu awaits treason verdict, vows hunger strike protest
22 OctThe Standard
… Set up in 1988 and named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the EU prize is bestowed annually on individuals or organisations to recognise their fight for human rights or democracy.The ICC was among three finalists this year, alongside Tanzania opposition leader Tundu Lissu …
Targeted by Trump, ICC wins top EU rights prize
August 2026
21 AugCitizen Digital
Tanzania opposition leader says treason trial is 'political' as defence starts By AFP August 21, 2026 11:15 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu (2nd L) gestures as …
Tanzania opposition leader says treason trial is 'political' as defence starts
21 AugCitizen Digital
… opposition leader has case to answer in treason trial By AFP August 21, 2026 02:06 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Tanzanian opposition leader and former presidential candidate of CHADEMA party Tundu Lissu …
Tanzania court rules opposition leader has case to answer in treason trial
21 AugThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeA Tanzanian court on Friday ruled that the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu will go ahead after finding that he has a case to answer. …
Tanzania court rules opposition leader has case to answer in treason trial

World & Region

Kenya's ex-Chief Justice Maraga calls for Tanzanian opposition leader Lissu's acquittal

The News

Former Chief Justice David Maraga has demanded the unconditional acquittal of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, accusing East African governments of using treason and terrorism charges to silence political opponents. Maraga, now co-leader of the United Green Movement Party and a 2027 presidential candidate, argued that Lissu's prosecution lacked legal foundation and reflected a pattern of political persecution across the East African Community.

4 hours ago · Capital News →

Today

Kenya's ex-Chief Justice Maraga calls for Tanzanian opposition leader Lissu's acquittal
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has demanded the unconditional acquittal of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, accusing East African governments of using treason and terrorism charges to silence political opponents. Maraga, now co-leader of the United Green Movement Party and a 2027 presidential candidate, argued that Lissu's prosecution lacked legal foundation and reflected a pattern of political persecution across the East African Community.
4 hours ago · Capital News →

Thursday 29 October

Tanzania struggles a year after bloody 2024 election
A year after Tanzania's October 29 election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with 98 percent of the vote after opposition figures were barred, many remain traumatised by violence that security forces used to suppress protests. A government-appointed commission put the death toll at 518, though rights groups and the opposition say thousands were killed.
29 October 2026 · The Standard →
Cross-border abduction in Kenya threatens dissident refuge status
A Tanzanian opposition activist was abducted from Kenya's Machakos county this week while another narrowly escaped, highlighting growing risks for dissidents taking refuge in Kenya. Kenya has long offered safe haven to dissidents from across east Africa, but its status as a secure refuge is eroding amid reports of violent kidnappings linked to political opposition.
29 October 2026 · The Standard →
Tanzania marks year since violent election, ongoing repression
A year after President Samia Suluhu Hassan won October's election with 98 percent of the vote following opposition exclusion, many Tanzanians remain traumatised by security force brutality against protesters. Rights groups and opposition say thousands died, though a government-appointed commission put the death toll at 518, while critics face ongoing threats of abduction, arbitrary arrest, and treason charges.
29 October 2026 · The Standard →

Sunday 25 October

Jailed Tanzania opposition leader plans hunger strike for lawyer access
Tundu Lissu, detained leader of Tanzania's main opposition Chadema party, plans a hunger strike on Monday to demand that prison authorities allow him to privately meet his lawyers. Lissu has been jailed while awaiting trial for treason, a charge that carries a potential death sentence, with the verdict expected on November 6.
25 October 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tanzanian opposition leader Lissu plans hunger strike
Detained Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, 58, plans to begin a hunger strike on Monday to demand private meetings with his lawyers while awaiting a treason verdict expected on November 6. Lissu, arrested in April 2025 on accusations of inciting public election boycotts, has been in detention since his 2023 return from exile, and his party says prison authorities are defying a High Court ruling on his constitutional right to meet counsel.
25 October 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 22 October

ICC awarded EU's top rights prize amid US sanctions
The International Criminal Court received the European Union's Sakharov Prize in recognition of its work upholding international law, as it faces US sanctions and Trump's vow to dismantle the court over an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
22 October 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 21 August

Tanzania opposition leader Lissu opens defence in treason trial
Tundu Lissu, head of Tanzania's opposition Chadema party, opened his defence on Friday in a treason trial he calls "political," after being charged in April 2025 with inciting public boycotts of last year's elections—a charge carrying potential death penalty.
21 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tanzanian court rules opposition leader has case to answer in treason trial
A Tanzanian court ruled on Friday that the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu will proceed after finding he has a case to answer. Lissu, head of the opposition Chadema party, was detained in April 2025 and charged with treason for allegedly inciting the public to boycott last year's elections.
21 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tanzanian court orders opposition leader Lissu's treason trial to proceed
A Tanzanian court ruled Friday that opposition Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu has a case to answer in his treason trial after prosecutors presented evidence and 17 witnesses testified against him. Lissu, detained in April 2025 and charged with treason for allegedly inciting public boycotts of last year's elections, is representing himself and has asked the court to summon high-ranking government officials including President Samia Suluhu Hassan as defence witnesses.
21 August 2026 · The Standard →

Monday 10 August

Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu's treason trial resumes
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu's treason trial resumed Monday after a five-month pause over procedural matters. The trial follows international criticism of Tanzania's handling of protests around last year's national elections, in which the opposition and rights activists say thousands were killed.
10 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tanzania opposition leader Tundu Lissu treason trial resumes
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu's treason trial resumed Monday after a five-month pause over procedural matters; Lissu was detained in April 2025 and charged with treason, which carries a potential death penalty, while his party Chadema claims the case is being used to suppress legitimate political opposition.
10 August 2026 · The Standard →

Wednesday 29 July

By-election in Ol Kalou mirrors African electoral malpractices
An opinion piece warns that Kenya's Ol Kalou by-election—marked by distribution of gas cylinders, mattresses, and other goods timed suspiciously before voting—follows a pattern of electoral misconduct seen across East and Southern Africa. The piece argues that such practices represent slow-motion failures in election conduct that have become recognizable across the region.
29 July 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 21 July

Ol Kalou by-election reflects regional pattern of electoral misconduct
An opinion piece compares the Ol Kalou by-election (called after MP David Njuguna Kiaraho's death in March 2026) to election irregularities across East Africa—gas cylinders, mattresses, and other incentives distributed to voters in the run-up to polling day—arguing that such misconduct follows a predictable regional pattern.
21 July 2026 · The Standard →

Monday 20 July

East Africans flee to Kenya amid post-election repression
Dozens of Ugandans and Tanzanians are hiding in neighbouring Kenya after recent elections triggered mass arrests, kidnappings, and murders in their countries. Refugees report knowing between 20 and 40 others who have fled to Kenya in recent months, though many live in fear of cross-border abduction.
20 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Sunday 5 July

Tanzania reimposed ban on political rallies after 2025 election violence
Tanzania has reinstated a ban on political rallies "until further notice," citing fears that mass gatherings could trigger uncontrollable protests. The move follows violent post-election clashes in 2025 and comes after President Samia Hassan had lifted the previous rally ban in 2023, which had been imposed in 2016 under her predecessor John Magufuli.
5 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tanzania reimposed ban on political rallies after 2025 violence
Tanzania has reimposed a ban on political rallies "until further notice," citing concerns that mass gatherings could trigger uncontrollable protests. The government action follows violent post-election unrest in 2025, and activists had scheduled nationwide protests against political repression for 7 July 2026.
5 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Friday 26 June

Martha Karua detained at Uganda airport; EAC principles questioned
Senior Counsel Martha Karua was detained at Entebbe International Airport while travelling to defend opposition figures in Uganda's courts. The Standard editorial argues the incident and similar treatment of Kenyan lawyers in neighbouring EAC states undermine the bloc's stated principles, noting Kenya opens its courts to lawyers from other EAC members while its own advocates face restrictions.
26 June 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 25 June

Martha Karua deported from Uganda, second regional expulsion this year
Kenyan lawyer and political leader Martha Karua was denied entry to Uganda and forced to return to Nairobi after interrogation and phone confiscation, marking her second deportation in a year—she was similarly expelled from Tanzania in May 2025 while attempting to observe an opposition trial. Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces claimed responsibility for declaring her persona non grata as she travelled to support a case involving a Ugandan opposition figure.
25 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Tuesday 23 June

Uganda CDF claims responsibility for deporting Martha Karua
Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba said he personally ordered the deportation of Kenya's Senior Counsel and Peoples Liberation Party leader Martha Karua from Uganda on Monday, and that she would no longer be allowed entry into the country. Karua had travelled to Uganda as part of a delegation attending a bail hearing for advocate Erias Lukwago.
23 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Uganda's CDF Muhoozi says he deported Martha Karua
Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba says he personally decided to deport Kenya's Senior Counsel and Peoples Liberation Party leader Martha Karua from the country, and that she will no longer be allowed entry into Uganda.
23 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Ugandan army chief claims he deported Kenyan lawyer Karua
Uganda's Chief of Defence Force Muhoozi Kainerugaba posted on X that he ordered the deportation of Kenyan Senior Counsel Martha Karua from Uganda on Monday, saying she will no longer be allowed entry. Karua had travelled to Uganda to help defend detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye but was stopped by immigration officials citing security reasons.
23 June 2026 · The Standard →

Monday 22 June

Uganda deports Martha Karua citing unspecified security reasons
People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua was deported from Uganda after immigration officials cited "security reasons," despite initial clearance at Entebbe International Airport. Karua, who had travelled to attend bail proceedings for jailed Ugandan lawyer Erias Lukwago and serves as lead counsel in a treason case against opposition leader Kizza Besigye, said she was declared persona non grata and placed on a return flight to Nairobi.
22 June 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 5 June

Government slow to respond to Kenyan activist abuse allegations abroad
An opinion piece argues that Kenya should have been the first to respond when activist Boniface Mwangi alleged detention, torture, and sexual assault in Tanzania in 2025, rather than waiting for the US State Department to act. The author contends that a government valuing its citizens must protect their safety and dignity regardless of where they are.
5 June 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 22 May

US sanctions Tanzanian police officer for torture of activists
The United States has imposed sanctions on Tanzanian Police Force Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele over alleged human rights violations involving the detention and torture of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire.
22 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
US sanctions Tanzanian police official over activist torture
The United States has sanctioned Tanzanian Police Force Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele under Section 7031(c) for involvement in the detention, torture and sexual assault of Uganda's Agather Atuhaire and Kenya's Boniface Mwangi in May 2025, barring him from entering the United States.
22 May 2026 · The Standard →

Wednesday 6 May

Activists condemn Tanzania president's 'crack the whip' protest remarks
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is facing criticism from human rights activists, including Kenya Human Rights Commission, over remarks regarding management of youth-led protests in the region. Rights defenders say her statements promote repression across East Africa and undermine democratic freedoms.
6 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Samia Suluhu's rise from obscure VP to hardline Tanzania leader
After the death of former president John Pombe Magufuli, deputy president Samia Suluhu Hassan ascended to Tanzania's presidency. Initially celebrated as a change from Magufuli's heavy-handed rule, Suluhu has since emerged as a hardline leader in her own right.
6 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Tuesday 5 May

Maraga accuses Ruto and Suluhu of creating regional tyranny axis
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has criticized President William Ruto and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu for discussing plans to jointly discipline Gen Z protesters, saying their "axis of tyranny" threatens to return East Africa to autocracy. Suluhu called for Ruto to work with her to address Gen Z unrest in both countries during Ruto's state visit to Tanzania.
5 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Monday 4 May

Linda Mwananchi opposes Ruto's Tanzania parliamentary address
The Orange Democratic Movement's Linda Mwananchi movement has opposed President William Ruto's planned visit and address to Tanzania's Parliament, arguing it risks undermining democratic values and risks legitimizing actions perceived to violate democratic norms. The group criticized Tanzania's general elections, citing arrests and intimidation of opposition leaders, and referenced African Union Election Observer findings that the elections fell short of democratic standards.
4 May 2026 · Capital News →