People’s Liberation Party of Kenya (PLP) Leader Martha Karua has revealed that she has been denied entry into Tanzania.
Karua in a statement on Sunday, May 18 said she had been kept waiting for over an hour after she arrived at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
“I arrived at Dar es Salaam Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport at nine a.m, and immigration referred my passport to the supervisor who has kept me waiting for an hour as she consults her superiors. I am concerned that as a citizen of the East African Community, my access within an EAC country appears inexplicably restricted,” she said.
Karua further said that two Kenyan colleagues accompanying her were also detained and are awaiting deportation.
According to the PLP Leader, the common thread that binds the trio is that they are all guests of the East Africa Law Society (EALS).
“The supervisor has now informed us that our entry to Tanzania has been denied no reasons given,” Karua added.
“The common thread between Gloria Kimani, a council member of the Law Society of Kenya and Ngugi Lynn is that we are guests of EALS, and I guess all visitors who may be interested in the politically motivated case against Tindu Lissu.”
Also Read: Karua Fires Back After Being Shut Down in Tanzania
This comes after the Senior Counsel led the Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network in calling for the release of Tundu Lissu, Tanzania’s opposition leader, and the dropping of the “politically motivated charges” brought against him.
The opposition leader was charged with treason a day after he was arrested following a rally he held in south Tanzania.
Martha Karua calls for release of Tindu Lissu
Karua on April 24 led the pan-African rights lobby in maintaining that the treason charges against the chairperson of Tanzania’s leading opposition party Chadema, signal an alarming escalation of repression by the ruling CCM administration led by President Samia Suluhu.
“As a member of the African Union (AU), the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Tanzania is bound by foundational commitments to uphold the rule of law, democracy, and human dignity. The current administration’s conduct flagrantly contradicts these obligations,” Karua said in a statement.
The lobby while speaking after a court session in Kisutu called for the full adherence to constitutional and international legal standards, including unrestricted access to legal counsel, family visits, and transparency in judicial proceedings.
Further, the group called for the restoration of Chadema’s eligibility to participate in this year’s general election, and ensure a free, fair, and credible electoral process.
“The CCM administration’s tactics targeting opposition figures, suppressing dissent, and manipulating state institutions-threaten the integrity of Tanzania’s democracy. We call on regional bodies, the international community, and Tanzanian citizens to condemn these abuses and demand accountability,” Karua added.
The charges against the presidential candidate in the 2020 election which the late former President John Magufuli won emanated from his speech in which prosecutors said he called on the public to rebel and disrupt the general election.
Also Read: Today in History: Magufuli Blocks the Swearing in of Raila Odinga in Tanzania
His legal team protested the “unlawful procedures” surrounding Lissu’s detention, his abrupt transfer from Keko Prison to Ukonga Prison, which they said was conducted without a court order, legal justification or notification to his legal counsel.
Babu Owino blocked from entering Tanzania
Karua was denied entry into Tanzania months after President Suluhu blocked Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino from entering the East African nation.
MP Owino in a letter dated February 3, formally wrote to the President through the country’s ambassador in Kenya seeking clarification on why he was denied entry into the East African country.
According to the parliamentarian, he was detained at Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport in December 2024.
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