By Semafor Africa
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Election violence in Tanzania that opposition groups say left hundreds dead is damaging investors’ confidence in East Africa and hampering regional trade, Kenya’s trade minister told Semafor.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in for a second term on Monday after it was announced that she won 98% of the vote in last week’s elections.
Amnesty International said it was alarmed by reports that security forces used excessive force to quell the protests over the disqualification of Samia’s main challengers.
In an interview with Semafor, Kenya’s Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui said the unrest was having “a direct impact on the flow of trade and investment in the region,” adding that “in a regional bloc where raw materials from one country fuel industries in another, the need for sustainable peace is critical.”
Tanzania has one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, largely driven by agriculture, mining, and tourism in recent years, but fallout from the unrest threatens that trajectory. Tanzania’s main port of Dar es Salaam remains shut after workers were ordered to stay at home, causing shipping lines to redirect vessels to Kenya’s port of Mombasa. Trucks moving goods between Tanzania and Kenya have also been stranded at key border points.
