Contrary to the great freedom that Kenyans enjoy to express themselves on social media and do not mock anyone including the head of state without any compulsion, in Tanzania the situation is different beyond description.
The country’s media have reported that a man has been handed a 7-year prison sentence for criticizing President Samia Suluhu Hassan through a WhatsApp Group message.
Is Moi Error being witnessed in Tanzania? Is Samia Suluhu a female version of Daniel arap Moi? Or let us conclude opposition role does not exist in Tanzania.
The man named Levinus Kidanabi, was sentenced to 7 years behind bars and a fine of 17 million Tzs which is equal to 780,000 shillings for defaming President Suluhu, publishing false information on a WhatsApp group and also using a phone number that it was not registered fully to his name.
“In all these offences, the accused has been sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of Sh5 million for the first offence, two years in prison and a fine of Sh5 million for the second offence, and two years in prison and a fine of Sh5 million for the third offence,”
Mwananchi magazine quoted the side’s lawyer of the government.This is not the first time for citizens in that nation to find themselves in the hands of the law by publishing information about government leaders and being taken action.
It will be remembered that a long time ago, after the late president Magufuli was not seen for a while, some of the citizens shared information that he was bedridden, something that angered law enforcement agencies and they were jailed for publishing false information about the health of their president.
