Former Chief Justice David Maraga has condemned remarks attributed to Presidents William Ruto and Samia Suluhu, accusing the two leaders of plotting to work together to violently suppress Gen Z protesters in both Kenya and Tanzania.
The United Green Movement (UGM) Party Leader, said he was deeply disturbed by reports that the two presidents reportedly discussed plans to “chapa mikwajo” the Gen Z during Ruto’s address to Tanzania’s National Assembly.
“These remarks are abhorrent,” he said.
He pointed out that the remarks came at the worst possible time, just days after President Suluhu received a report on the killings that happened during and after Tanzania’s October 2025 general elections.
More than 518 people were shot dead and not a single person has been brought to book.
Maraga also reminded the public the torture of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Uganda’s Agather Atuhaire on Tanzanian soil, noting that the perpetrators remain free.
“We must also not forget that our compatriot Boniface Mwangi, and Agather Atuhaire of Uganda, were tortured on Tanzanian soil. The perpetrators remain free,” he stated.
He warned that what Ruto and Suluhu are building together is dangerous for the entire East African region, calling it an axis of tyranny that could take the region back to the dark days of dictatorship.
“Citizens of East Africa must speak up. The axis of tyranny that Presidents Suluhu and Ruto are constructing threatens to return our region to autocracy,” Maraga said.
Maraga pointed to his solidarity visit to Dar es Salaam on May 19, 2025, where he stood alongside Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, as proof of his commitment to defending democratic freedoms across the region.
“Our East African Jumuiya cannot advance while leaders suppress dissent and trample on the basic rights of our people,” he added.