The government of Kenya has called for the release of former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga who is currently detained in Tanzania.
In a statement, activist and Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid confirmed that he, Mutunga, and fellow activist Hanifa Adan had been detained.
“We, Willy Mutunga, Hanifa Farsafi, and I, have been detained at Julius Nyerere Airport, Dar es Salaam,” Khalid said. “We came to observe Tundu Lissu’s case.”
According to Khalid, their trip to Tanzania was meant to show solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and human rights defenders. However, the Tanzanian government has not provided any reasons for their detention.
Former CJ Willy Mutunga Detained in Tanzania
Khalid added that they were taken to an interrogation room, and their passports were confiscated by Tanzanian authorities.
“They’ve told us to wait here for their senior officer — I guess the chief interrogator! We still don’t have our passports, nor do we know why we’re being detained,” he said.
Meanwhile, activist Boniface Mwangi, who is also in Tanzania, claimed that his life was in danger at the Serena Hotel in Dar es Salaam after unidentified individuals, allegedly policemen, camped outside his hotel room.
Also Read: Martha Karua Blocked from Entering Tanzania
In a viral video circulating on social media, Mwangi stated that the armed men in civilian clothes refused to identify themselves.
“My life is in danger. I’m at Serena Hotel, Dar es Salaam, and there are armed men in civilian clothes outside my room. They claim to be police officers but have refused to identify themselves. They will have to break down the door to get to me. I’m not going to open it,” Mwangi said.
Activist Boniface Mwangi Claims His Life is in Danger
He later confirmed that the armed men had left his door and moved to the hotel lobby. He added that he was willing to go with them once Tanzanian lawyers following up on the matter arrived.
The detention of former CJ Mutunga, Hussein Khalid, and Hanifa Adan came just hours after Martha Karua and two other Kenyans were deported by the Tanzanian government on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
People’s Liberation Party of Kenya (PLP) leader Martha Karua revealed that she had been denied entry into Tanzania.
Also Read: Suluhu Blocks Babu Owino from Entering Tanzania
In a statement on Sunday, May 18, Karua said she was kept waiting for over an hour after arriving at Julius Nyerere International Airport.
“I arrived at Dar es Salaam Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport at 9:00 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 to an EAC country appears inexplicably restricted,” she said.
Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo condemned Karua’s deportation.
“The essence of regional cooperation is anchored in shared virtues and values. Democracy, good governance, and the rule of law form the social contract upon which our regional integration as the EAC is based.
It is bad enough when a partner state violates these principles locally, but it is totally unacceptable when such violations extend to international obligations that bind all community members,” said Odhiambo.
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