LSK’s Kanjama condemns President Suluhu’s remarks on activists in East Africa
By Aloys Michael, May 7, 2026The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Charles Kanjama has warned against curbing civil liberties following Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu’s remarks.
In a statement on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Kanjama insisted that the rule of law must be upheld.
“The recent remarks by H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, suggesting coordinated regional action to suppress youth-led civic expression across East Africa, raise grave constitutional and rule of law concerns within the East African Community,” he wrote on X.
This follows a series of statements made by President Suluhu that appear to endorse coordinated crackdowns on youth-led civic activism across the East African region and are outright against fundamental rights and freedoms stipulated in both countries’ constitutions.
Kanjama went ahead to remind regional governments that Kenya’s Constitution leaves little room for debate, pointing out Articles 33, 36, and 37, which guarantee freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
“The Constitution of Kenya is unequivocal. It guarantees freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly under Articles 33, 36 and 37. These are not concessions from the state; they are protected rights that form the foundation of democratic governance,” the LSK boss said.
Suluhu made the contentious statements on May 5, 2026, after an address where she openly discussed with President William Ruto how their two governments could jointly manage protesters, describing the youth as undisciplined young men bent on disturbing peace.
She later on advised that protesters should not be pampered or appeased, and suggested that those who engage in disorderly conduct should instead face severe disciplinary action to bring them in line.
Suluhu further went ahead to make alarming remarks that if Kenyan youth cross the border to protest in Tanzania, they ought to be dealt with accordingly, and the same for Tanzanian youth when they cross into Kenya.
“If they come to me, I will deal with them; if they come to you, deal with them so they behave,” stated Suluhu.
That kind of rhetoric from a sitting head of state raised serious red flags across legal and civil society corridors, with LSK saying such statements, made openly and in the presence of another president, represent a genuine and escalating threat to democratic space.
Kanjama also pushed back on the idea that citizen activism equals disorder, arguing that “demands for accountability, transparency and respect for human rights cannot be characterised as disorder. They are an essential feature of constitutional democracy.”
LSK warned that any effort to stifle the freedoms laid out in the constitution would be met with institutional resistance through legal, civic and regional accountability mechanisms moving forward.