In a statement issued on X on May 18, 2025, EALS President Ramah Abubakar said the organisation has dispatched representatives to Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam to assess the situation involving the three.
“We have dispatched our representatives to assist and assess the situation. I am imploring President Samia Suluhu to intervene and allow entry in the spirit and letter of the EAC Treaty on the freedom of movement of all East Africans,” said Abubakar.
“We shall be issuing a full statement on this matter in due course.”
Earlier today, Karua, People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader,
said in a series of posts on her verified X account that she had been denied
entry into Tanzania and that authorities were planning to deport her back to
Kenya.
"I have been denied entry into Tanzania, and I, along with two colleagues, am awaiting deportation at Mwalimu Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam," Karua wrote.
She said her passport was confiscated by immigration officials upon arrival and handed to a supervisor. She added that she had been held at the airport for over an hour without any explanation.
"I arrived at Dar es Salaam, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport, at 9 a.m., and immigration referred my passport to the supervisor, who kept me waiting for an hour as she consulted her superiors," she posted.
"I am concerned that, as a citizen of Jumuiya, my access within the East African Community (EAC) appears inexplicably restricted."
According to Karua, she is being held alongside human rights defenders and lawyers Lynn Ngugi and Gloria Kimani.
She said all three were in Tanzania as guests of the East Africa Law Society (EALS) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
Karua, known for her vocal stance on governance and human rights in the region, had travelled to Tanzania to show solidarity with detained opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is facing treason charges.
She alleged that their denial of entry may be linked to their interest in the politically sensitive case.
“The common thread between Gloria Kimani, a council member of the LSK, and Lynn Ngugi is that we are guests of EALS. I suspect all visitors who may be interested in the politically motivated case against Tundu Lissu are being denied entry,” she claimed.
