Kenyan lawyer and former presidential candidate Martha Karua has claimed she was deported from Tanzania after travelling to attend the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges.
Martha Karua, who served as Kenya’s justice minister and is seen as a potential contender in the country’s 2027 presidential race, had travelled to Dar es Salaam to observe Monday’s court proceedings against Lissu, leader of the opposition Chadema party. Lissu is facing treason charges that could carry the death penalty if convicted.
Speaking upon her return to Nairobi on Sunday, Karua said she and her team were detained upon arrival at Dar es Salaam airport and swiftly put on a return flight without explanation.
“We were held for no offence — simply for showing solidarity and intending to observe the trial of Tundu Lissu,” she told reporters.
Karua argued that her deportation revealed the extent to which Tanzania’s government is willing to go to suppress opposition voices ahead of October’s general elections. Chadema has already been barred from participating in both presidential and legislative polls, having refused to sign the electoral code of conduct amid demands for reforms.
“President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s party is misusing the law to imprison key rivals and ensure an uncontested path to power,” Karua said. “The move shows they have no intention of offering Tundu Lissu a fair trial.”
Karua’s newly formed People’s Liberation Party condemned the incident, calling it “a disgraceful act” and “a clear violation of East African Community principles,” given both Kenya and Tanzania are founding EAC members.
In a recent interview with AFP, Karua warned of what she described as a “complete breakdown of democratic norms” in East Africa, naming Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. She said governments in the region were using underhand tactics to silence opponents in the lead-up to elections.
“There’s a pattern across the region: they’re paralysing the opposition before elections,” she said.
Karua has become increasingly vocal in regional politics, including representing Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who was allegedly abducted in Kenya last year and forcibly returned to Uganda, where he also faces treason charges.
Her criticism comes during reports of increasing political repression in Kenya. Human rights groups report that at least 60 people were killed during anti-government protests last June and July, while more than 80 others were allegedly abducted by security agents, with many still missing. President William Ruto has denied any state involvement, saying all abductees have since been reunited with their families.
Karua accused the Kenyan authorities of enabling extrajudicial actions, saying: “We’re witnessing abductions, arbitrary arrests, and killings, and the government refuses to be held accountable. It feels as if our constitution has been suspended.”
Tensions are also mounting in Uganda ahead of elections scheduled for January. The country’s army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba — the son and presumed successor of President Yoweri Museveni — stirred controversy last week after issuing a warning on X (formerly Twitter) to those not supporting the ruling party.
“Those who don’t support Mzee wholeheartedly better be very careful,” he wrote, referring to his father. “We will deport all traitors in public view!”
