AfriPulse
On Saturday, November 1, the African Union Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, sent his congratulations to Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu after she was declared the winner with 98 per cent of the votes in the just-concluded General Elections conducted on Wednesday.
Following the statement, in which Youssouf acknowledged the post-election violence experienced after the polls, social media has exploded with criticism from several fronts, including Kenyans.
Youssouf also called for calm among the citizens, even as they practised their constitutional right to picket.
“The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, takes note of the results of the presidential election in Tanzania and congratulates H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan for her victory,” the statement read.
Djibouti Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Ali Yousouff during a press conference with Tanzanian media January 24, 2025.
Photo
Mahmoud Ali Yousouff
“The Chairperson deeply regrets the loss of human life during the post-electoral protests and extends his sincere condolences to the families of the victims. He underscores the imperative of upholding fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to peaceful assembly and expression, and encourages the authorities to safeguard these rights within the framework of the law.”
The Uproar
The sentiments from mostly Kenyans stemmed from the fact that the AU chair congratulated President Suluhu in the same breath that he mourned the lost lives.
“African Union really out here sending condolences and congratulations in the same paragraph, like a eulogy signed by the murderer,” one user lamented, with another one adding, “You are not extending condolences to victims’ families if you are congratulating those responsible for their victimisation.”
“Why is the African Union so quick to send congratulations at a time when lives were lost? Is the Union protecting Electoral Authoritarianism in Africa?” another mused.
“An organisation fed by the same hands it’s meant to discipline will never bite. Anybody that survives on contributions from the same countries it’s supposed to check will always protect power, not people. AU, UN and EU same thing,” another commented.
“This is a very shameful statement. Was there an election in Tanzania? You had observers on the ground; did you listen to their reports, or y’all just support dictators nowadays?”
Others chose to attack Kenyans who had run a campaign against the late Raila Odinga, who was vying for the AUC seat against Yoosouff during the February election.
They rationalised that things might have been different if Raila had won the election instead of Youssouf, making fun of the Kenyans who had thought otherwise eight months ago.
“Now this completely puts me off, and that’s exactly why I stood firmly behind our dear leader, Rt. Raila. Everyone knows the Tanzanian elections were poorly conducted, with serious irregularities and atrocities reported. There was absolutely nothing close to a fair victory in TZ,” one such commenter wrote.
“‘Vote for Mahmoud to punish Raila’ is now calling for Maandamano against Mahmoud for a statement just released by the AU . You can’t make this stuff up,” another added.
“When President Ruto was busy campaigning for Raila during the AU race, all the Gen Z and a section of well-known people went against him by campaigning for the Djibouti candidate. Today, they are against the individual they campaigned for on X,” one noted.
President Suluhu has been accused of stacking the odds against her opponents in the election by arresting the main opposition party CHADEMA’s Party Leader, Tundu Lissu and disqualifying Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, the second-largest opposition party.
She has also been accused of dictatorial tendencies by using intimidation to get her way in the just-concluded elections. She won by 98 per cent of the votes.
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu casting her vote on October 29, 2025.
Photo
Samia Suluhu
Source: Kenyans.co.ke | Read the Full Story…
