DAR ES SALAAM, TANANIA — Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has addressed the recent deportations of Kenyan Senior Counsel Martha Karua, former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, human rights lawyer Gloria Kimani, journalist Lynn Ngugi, activist journalist Hanifa Adan, VOCAL Africa CEO Hussein Khalid and among other contingent of Kenyans, asserting that the government’s actions were justified due to concerns over foreign interference in Tanzania’s internal affairs.
Speaking on Monday, May 19th, President Hassan stated, “We have started seeing activists from our region invading and getting involved in our internal issues. If they have been controlled in their country, let them not come to mess ours.” She framed the deportations as a necessary measure to maintain national stability.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan emphasized Tanzania’s relative peace compared to other nations in the region, urging authorities to remain vigilant.
“We should not allow them; they have already destabilized their country. The only country that has not been destabilized, where people are peaceful, is here (Tanzania). There have been several attempts, but I want to urge the authorities not to allow people from other countries to come and destabilize this country,” she added.
Martha Karua was denied entry into Tanzania on Sunday, May 18th, and subsequently deported to Kenya. In a statement, she reported that her passport was confiscated, and she was detained alongside colleagues Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi.
“The immigration officer referred my passport to the supervisor, who kept me waiting for an hour as she consulted her superiors. I am concerned that as a citizen of the East African Community (EAC),” she stated.
Karua further noted, “The supervisor has now informed us that our entry to Tanzania has been denied; no reasons given.”
Also Read: Martha Karua’s deportation from Tanzania exposes cracks in East African integration
Similarly, Willy Mutunga, along with activists Hussein Khalid of Haki Africa and Hanifa Adan, were denied entry into Tanzania on Monday morning. Hussein Khalid, in a series of social media posts, explained that their travel was intended as a show of solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and human rights defenders observing Tundu Lissu’s case.
“Willy Mutunga, Hanifa Adan, and I have been detained at Julius Nyerere Airport, Dar es Salaam, as we came in for the observance of Tundu Lissu’s case. The trip was in solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and human rights defenders. They have not given reasons for the detention,” he wrote.
Khalid further detailed their detention, stating, “Following our detention, we’ve been brought to the interrogation room. 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.”
The trio was subsequently deported on Monday evening via a Kenya Airways flight.
