Martha Karua, a prominent Kenyan lawyer and former Justice Minister, has claimed she was deported from Tanzania on Saturday, allegedly to block her from attending a high-profile court hearing involving Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
According to her recently formed People’s Liberation Party (PLP), Karua and two of her colleagues—fellow Kenyan lawyer Gloria Kimani and human rights activist Lynn Ngugi—were detained upon arrival and subjected to hours of interrogation before being forced to return to Kenya. Tanzanian authorities have yet to issue a statement on the matter.
Karua had traveled to observe the court proceedings of Tundu Lissu, leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema. Lissu, who survived an assassination attempt in 2017, is facing treason charges—an offense that carries a potential death penalty in Tanzania. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
The deportation has drawn criticism from Chadema and various human rights groups. Chadema’s Secretary-General John Mnyika condemned the incident, stating, “Detaining foreign lawyers does nothing to hide the shame of a politically motivated treason case.” The Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition also expressed alarm, calling the arrests arbitrary and pointing out that Karua had previously been allowed to attend Lissu’s court appearance in April.
Karua, a long-time human rights advocate, has been vocal about democratic decline in East Africa. She also represents Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who was abducted in Kenya last year and forcibly returned to Uganda to face similar treason charges.
Tundu Lissu’s legal troubles have further intensified concerns about political repression in Tanzania ahead of general elections scheduled for October. His arrest last month followed a public rally where he criticized the electoral system under the banner “No Reforms, No Election.” Since then, the electoral commission has barred Chadema from participating in the upcoming vote, citing the party’s refusal to sign a code of conduct that mandates political actors to “maintain peace and harmony” during the election period.
Chadema alleges the code is being used to suppress opposition voices. Meanwhile, the ruling CCM party, in power since 1977, is widely expected to retain control, with President Samia Suluhu Hassan likely to seek re-election. Though initially credited with opening up the political space after taking office in 2021, critics now accuse her administration of reverting to repressive tactics reminiscent of her predecessor, the late President John Magufuli—an accusation the government denies.