Senator Joe Nyutu has said Tanzania will eventually break free from political suppression, arguing that the current situation in the country shows a growing demand for democratic freedoms.

Speaking during a morning television interview on Thursday, October 30, 2025, he said Tanzanians are a politically suppressed community but the wind of change has already begun to move.

“The events that are unfolding in Tanzania are testimony to the fact that you cannot suppress people forever, because Tanzania is a politically suppressed community,” he stated.

Nyutu said his view comes from several visits to Tanzania over the last year, where he joined other Kenyan legislators on parliamentary committee trips. He noted that during those visits he interacted with Tanzanians who expressed frustration with the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party but felt unable to openly oppose it.

He stated that many Tanzanians believe they cannot challenge leaders linked to CCM.

“And one thing that for me, I don’t know whether my colleagues noted, but one thing for me that I noted is Tanzanians are kind of enslaved by CCM. Because I met several of them telling me that, well, we are not happy with Samia, but what are we going to do?”

Tanzania at turning point

He compared Tanzania’s situation to Kenya in the years before the repeal of Section 2A in 1991, which allowed multiparty politics. He said Tanzania is now at a similar turning point, stressing that the country will finally be liberated with time.

Nyutu criticised what he called a pattern of political intolerance in Tanzania, accusing authorities of targeting critics, detaining opponents and deporting foreign activists.

He referenced the past cases involving Kenyan activists Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire, who were detained and later removed from Tanzania in poor health conditions after supporting pro-reform voices.

Nyutu spoke as tension continues to rise in Tanzania following a contentious election. On Wednesday, Tanzanian police imposed a nationwide curfew after violent protests in several cities. Internet services were also shut down.

According to local reports, clashes erupted in Dar es Salaam as opposition supporters demanded free political space and an independent electoral commission. Protesters set fires and damaged public property, while police fired tear gas to contain crowds.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan is widely expected to secure another term, as the main opposition leader remains in jail and several parties boycotted the poll. Rights groups have accused the government of shrinking civic space and targeting critics through arrests and abductions.