Former President Ian Khama has launched a scathing attack on the presidents of Tanzania and Cameroon accusing them of undermining democracy and perpetuating Africa’s governance crisis.
Speaking recently at Lukenya University in Kenya during a forum on African renaissance, Khama described the October 29 Tanzanian election and the violence that followed as “totally unacceptable,” saying no leader should kill citizens or rig elections to remain in power.
“When someone clings to power for decades while the youth remain jobless and marginalised, that is not progress,” Khama said.
“She is an illegitimate president,” Khama declared, without mentioning Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan by name. “The Africa we dream of will only emerge when our governance is guided by our values and not by our interests. It is totally unacceptable when an African leader resorts to killing his or her own people just to stay in power.”
Khama said election rigging and political violence were symptoms of a deeper moral and leadership decay across the continent. “When you have a country with millions of people and those who rig elections think they are the only ones who can be presidents, it is pathetic,” he said. “My apologies to those from Tanzania, but I do not recognise the person who was inaugurated as president. She is an illegitimate president.”
Turning to Cameroon, Khama also criticised President Paul Biya, who was recently sworn in at 92 years old, saying such long tenures highlight the absence of leadership renewal in Africa. “When someone clings to power for decades while the youth remain jobless and marginalised, that is not progress,” Khama said.
He further condemned the intimidation and arrests of opposition leaders and the banning of political parties in some African nations. “That is not the Africa that we want,” he said to loud applause from students and dignitaries.
The forum marked two years since Lukenya University established its Pan-Africanism Institute, which seeks to advance the continent’s social, political, and economic renaissance.
During the ceremony, the university paid tribute to the late former Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga, who died on October 15. Through songs, poetry, and skits, students celebrated Odinga’s legacy as a champion of democracy and pan-African unity.
Khama, who has become an outspoken critic of authoritarianism since leaving office in 2018, urged African youth to reject leaders who abuse power and to push for a new era of accountable governance.
