Nairobi, Jan. 28 -- Half a decade has passed since the news of the shooting of Tundu Lissu in Dodoma broke over the political and journalist communities and swept into the general populace. Those were dark times and the shooting is now a historic marker, the best-known incident in a period when violence was all too common against the outspoken.

Tundu Antiphas Lissu was shot several times, survived, was whisked away from Tanzania for treatment and ended up living in exile in Europe for several years. As he stayed away from here we asked each other: Who did it? Who did it? The land of peace was tangibly not peaceful and the world finally noticed. A critic of the government and opposition politician was gunned down in the capital city.

He ...