Tanzania has cancelled next month’s Independence Day celebrations, a move interpreted as a response to planned nationwide demonstrations against the disputed re-election of President Samia Suluhu. This comes amid mounting calls for international investigation into post-election violence that left scores dead. In an exclusive interview with The Standard Investigations Editor Francis Ontomwa, Chadema Head of Information Gerva Lyenda speaks from a safe house for the first time since going into hiding.

Q: In October, just before the elections, you made the decision to go underground. What exactly made you feel your life was at risk?
 
A: I never imagined a day would come when I would be forced to flee my own home in search of safety, when my motherland would become so hostile that I would essentially become a political exile. It is the worst feeling, living on the edge, never sure if you will see the next day. And it’s not just me.