The safety of Kenyans caught up in post-election violence in neighbouring Tanzania must be guaranteed, Kenya's foreign minister has told his Tanzanian counterpart.
Kenyan citizens are living in fear in Tanzania after being reportedly targeted in a brutal crackdown on the protests that followed last week's disputed election.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the poll with 98% of the vote - and in her inauguration speech condemned the violence and blamed foreigners for stoking the unrest.
Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said the rights of some Kenyans had been violated and that formal reports had been submitted to the Tanzanian authorities for appropriate action.
During a phone conversation, Mudavadi said he had told Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo that concerns would be addressed through the established diplomatic and consular channels.
But he had reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding the rights, safety, and dignity of Kenyans living in Tanzania.
In May, Mudavadi had said that about 250,000 Kenyans lived, worked or did business in Tanzania.
The Tanzanian government has come under intense international scrutiny for allegedly using excessive force to quell post-election protests, which reportedly left dozens of people dead.
It has sought to downplay the scale of the violence and has dismissed the number of deaths given by the opposition as greatly exaggerated.
Earlier, a Tanzanian police spokesman said the country had intelligence that some foreigners had crossed the border through illegal points with the intention to commit crimes, including causing unrest.
Several families in Kenya have expressed concern for the safety of their relatives in Tanzania, following reports that some Kenyans have been killed, injured, or detained, while others are nursing injuries allegedly inflicted by Tanzanian security officers.
Kenyan human rights activist Hussein Khalid urged the government to take urgent measures to protect them, saying that Tanzanian authorities were using Kenyans as scapegoats for the atrocities committed by police against Tanzanians.
Members of families in Kenya have sought assurances from their government about their relatives in Tanzania who may be in distress, as reports of violence surface.
Election observers say the polls fell short of democratic standards, but the government insists the election was fair and transparent.
President Samia faced little opposition with key rival candidates either imprisoned or barred from running.
Her inauguration ceremony was held at a military parade ground and was closed to the public but shown live on state TV.
Tanzania and Kenya, which are both part of the Economic African Community, have experienced periodic political and economic tensions.
This recent episode underscores the fragile state of inter-country relations amidst domestic unrest.
