ISIBANIA BORDER POST – In a dramatic display of cross-border solidarity, hundreds of protesters stormed immigration offices at the Kenya-Tanzania border on Saturday to secure the release of a detained Tanzanian opposition leader who was en route to the funeral of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
John Heche, the Deputy Chairperson of Tanzania’s leading opposition party CHADEMA, was detained by Tanzanian authorities at the Isibania border post. Heche was traveling to represent his party and its detained leader, Tundu Lissu, at the state funeral for Raila Odinga in Bondo, Siaya County. Odinga, a towering figure in East African politics, died of a heart attack on October 15, 2025.
News of Heche’s detention sparked immediate outrage. A crowd of hundreds of Kenyans and Tanzanians gathered at the border, eventually storming the immigration offices to demand his freedom. The successful protest allowed Heche to cross into Kenya amid cheers and chants of solidarity from the crowd.
The incident highlights ongoing political tensions within Tanzania and raises questions about the freedom of movement for opposition figures within the East African Community. By preventing a senior opposition leader from attending a major regional funeral, Tanzanian authorities inadvertently triggered a protest that underscored the deep connections and shared political sympathies across the border.
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