Kenyan politician Martha Karua has arrived in Uganda without incident, just days after she was denied entry into neighbouring Tanzania.
“In Uganda with Lynn Ngugi for Kifefe Kizza-Besigye & Obeid Lutale case, our entry was without a hitch in the spirit of jumuiya (EAC),” Karua posted on social media.
Karua is in Uganda in a show of support for Ugandan opposition figures Kifefe Kizza-Besigye and Obeid Lutale, who are facing different charges.
Her travel comes less than a week after she had been blocked from entering Tanzania, raising concerns about regional diplomatic tensions and the treatment of political figures across East Africa.
Karua has long advocated for democratic governance and regional solidarity. Ugandan authorities have not commented publicly on her visit.
Martha Karua Deportation
People’s Liberation Party of Kenya (PLP) Leader Martha Karua had revealed that she was denied entry into Tanzania on Sunday, May 18.
Karua in a statement said she had been kept waiting for over an hour after she arrived at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
Also Read: Martha Karua Addresses Supporting Kibaki ‘Steal’ Elections in 2007
“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.
This came 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.
Tanzania on Deportation
On May 19, 2025, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan broke her silence regarding the arrest and deportation of several prominent Kenyan nationals, including political figure Martha Karua, from Tanzanian territory.
Also Read: Profile of Tundu Lissu: Shot 16 Times During Magufuli’s Time, Jailed Under Samia Suluhu Rule
The deportation, which took place over the weekend of May 18–19, have sparked diplomatic friction between Kenya and Tanzania.
Addressing the matter during a public engagement on Monday, President Suluhu strongly criticized what she described as interference by Kenyan activists in Tanzania’s domestic affairs.
She implied that some political actors, frustrated by their lack of impact at home, were now attempting to disrupt stability beyond their borders.
“We’ve started seeing a trend where some activists from our neighboring countries are trying to meddle in our business,” Suluhu asserted.
“If they have been contained in their own country, let them not try to come to ruin our peace.”
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