Tanzanian Opposition Leader Stopped at Isibania Border on Way to Raila Odinga’s Burial

By Ivy Nyaboke 

Tanzanian opposition leader John Heche, the deputy chairperson of the Chadema Party, was detained by authorities at the Isibania border while heading to Kenya to attend the burial of the late ODM leader Raila Odinga in Bondo, Siaya County.

Heche said on social media that his passport was taken away and that officials did not explain why he was being held. He also claimed that the officers ignored normal legal procedures during the arrest.

“I have been stopped at the border and my passport taken without being told my offense. No one has said what law I’ve broken,” Heche posted online, calling on Tanzanians to demand that their country be governed by the rule of law.

Heche was travelling to represent Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu, who remains in detention facing treason charges in Tanzania. Lissu had earlier appealed to the courts and President Samia Suluhu Hassan to allow him to attend Raila’s burial, even if it meant travelling under guard.

Lissu was arrested after urging Tanzanians to boycott the upcoming October 29 elections, saying the electoral system unfairly favored the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.

Raila Odinga’s burial is set for Sunday in his rural home in Bondo, with leaders and supporters from across Africa expected to attend.