Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi! stands in unwavering solidarity with our partners, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), following the alarming escalation of intimidation and repression directed at human rights defenders in Tanzania. The shocking incident of 12 November 2025 at White Sands Hotel in Dar es Salaam, where LHRC staff were subjected to a siege, harassment, and the confiscation of their laptops, phones, and identification documents, represents a clear and deliberate attempt to silence civic actors who are carrying out legitimate human rights and democratic oversight work. This incident is not isolated; rather, it reflects a deepening crisis of civic repression in a country where democratic space is steadily shrinking.

Even more concerning is that these actions occurred without any justifiable cause and within a context where the Tanzanian Police Force has increasingly been linked to excessive force, arbitrary interference, and widespread intimidation against citizens, opposition leaders, and civil society organisations.  The  UN  report on the  killings, injuries, disappearances, and the harassment of human rights defenders following the 29 October 2025 elections paint a disturbing picture of a state apparatus being deployed against its own people. Such tactics are not only unacceptable, they amount to a direct assault on civic space, democratic participation, and the rule of law, threatening the integrity of Tanzania’s political future and undermining the rights of citizens to speak, assemble, and organize.

The Ni Sisi! philosophy is rooted in the belief that people are the true custodians of democracy, and any attempt to suppress civil society organisations is an attack on this foundational principle. The intimidation of LHRC staff mirrors the broader pattern of hostility toward civic actors across Tanzania and signals a dangerous slide toward authoritarianism. Equipment seized from LHRC staff was returned without explanation after 24 hours, with no clarity on what may have been accessed or extracted. Staff have been summoned to a police station despite facing no formal charges. No human rights defender should be forced to operate under such fear and uncertainty, and no civic actor should be criminalized for doing work that governments themselves are mandated, by both law and morality, to uphold.

We commend LHRC for their courage, composure, and professionalism in the face of escalating intimidation. Their call for regional solidarity reflects the gravity of the current situation and the urgent need for collective action to protect civic space across East Africa.

We call upon the Government of Tanzania:

• To conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the incident;
• To hold accountable those responsible for harassment and intimidation;
• To guarantee the safety of all human rights defenders, as required under national, regional, and international human rights standards.

As Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi!, we reaffirm that civic space is not a privilege, it is a right. And when one of us is targeted, all of us must speak. The people of East Africa are bound together by shared history, shared struggle, and shared aspirations for justice and accountable governance.

Ni Sisi! Because democracy survives when people refuse to be silenced.

Dr. Kawive Wambua

Chief Executive Officer
Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi!