President William Ruto’s congratulatory message to Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan has sparked criticism on social media.
On X and Facebook, Ruto hailed Suluhu’s “victory” in Tanzania’s disputed election, but his words landed like salt on an open wound.
Tanzania is burning. Dar es Salaam’s streets smoulder with anger and smoke. At least a thousand people are reported missing or detained.
Opposition figures whisper from hiding. Hospitals overflow with the wounded. And the air thick with tear gas tells its story of a nation in distress.
The electoral commission declared Suluhu the winner with over 97 per cent of the vote.
The opposition cried foul. Protests swept through Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza and Mbeya.
Then came the blackout – internet cut, journalists silenced, cameras smashed. The state moved fast, hard, and without mercy.
Reuters and Le Monde Afrique report that security forces opened fire on demonstrators.
Deaths
Bodies were seen lying in the streets before being quickly cleared away. Mainstream sources confirm at least a dozen deaths, but human rights monitors believe the toll could be far higher.
In this grim context, Ruto’s message surfaced: bright, congratulatory, and notably insensitive.
Kenya stands what????? We are helping the people of TZ in fighting injustice, you can’t be rubberstamping such a sham process, this is extremely shameful na kama si hiyo cyberlaw ningekuekelea neno zito sana hapa mwisho
— NINAH (@NinaHwaA) November 3, 2025
Kenyan civil society organisations and opposition politicians have accused him of “legitimising acts of brutality”.
Online, Tanzanians demanded empathy, not applause.
Congratulating her is okay, but dragging the whole Country into this butchery is nonsensical, Bwana Githinji
— Akbas (@Ammar_Kassim8) November 3, 2025
Diplomatic analysts say Ruto may have sought to preserve calm across East Africa’s economic corridor.
But in doing so, critics argue, he turned his back on democratic principle.
“Solidarity with the oppressor?,” one Kenyan rights activist wrote.
Bro!! Sasa hapa umekuja saaaana… Have you seen the bodies ?? Among them allegedly Kenyans and you are here congratulating a demagogue!!? President sir, retract this !!!
— Eng. Raphael Kibet Korir🇰🇪 (@korir_raphael) November 3, 2025
READ ALSO: Ruto in Uniform: Decoding President’s First Appearance in Military Fatigues
Once hailed as a reformer, Suluhu now faces the darkest chapter of her presidency.
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