People’s
Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has defended retired Chief Justice
Willy Mutunga following his deportation from Tanzania on May 19, 2025.
Mutunga was among three human rights defenders who were denied entry into Tanzania and barred from observing the hearing of a case against the country’s opposition leader, Tundu Lissu.
Responding to a post on X by city lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, Karua came to Mutunga’s defence.
“Willy is not poisonous,” Karua replied, briefly responding to Ahmednasir.
Ahmednasir had posted on his verified X account about Mutunga’s denial of entry into Tanzania, saying the country’s intelligence services had instead allowed in Mutunga’s successor, David Maraga, because he was “harmless.”
“So Tanzania denies CJ Willy Mutunga entry to the country. Tanzania welcomes CJ Maraga to the country and rolls out the red carpet. Both travelled to observe the trial of the opposition leader. TZ Intelligence is lethal. They know Willy is poisonous. They know Maraga is harmless,” Ahmednasir wrote.
Mutunga, along with two Kenyan activists—Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid—was detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam for over 10 hours.
This incident followed Karua’s deportation from Tanzania to Kenya on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
On that day, Karua, together with Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Council member Gloria Kimani and Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network member Lynn Ngugi, was also detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport.
Meanwhile, human rights activists Agather Atuhaire from Uganda and Boniface Mwangi from Kenya are reportedly being held at the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam.
According to social media posts and statements from regional civil society organisations, the two activists were arrested due to their presence in the country to monitor proceedings in Lissu’s high-profile legal case.
Mwangi is reportedly facing possible charges under Tanzania’s immigration laws, with police allegedly threatening him with a three-year prison sentence.
On Monday, May 19, 2025, President Samia Suluhu Hassan issued a stern warning against external interference in Tanzania’s internal affairs.
Suluhu accused regional and international activists of attempting to destabilise the country.
Karua has insisted that she was in Tanzania legally in line with the East African Community treaty on free movement of citizens.
Speaking at
a public event on Monday, Suluhu emphasised her constitutional duty to protect
Tanzania’s sovereignty, independence, and national dignity.
She expressed concern about a growing trend of foreign voices using digital platforms to comment on Tanzanian matters, stating that while freedom of expression is global, Tanzania's internal stability is not negotiable.
“Through technology, people all over the world can say what they want about us. They can utter anything and say what they wish,” she said.
“But when something is uttered, our security agencies must respond quickly—either to clarify, deny, or, if true, accept and take action to rectify.”
“Let’s not be Shamba la Bibi [a lawless, unguarded place] where everyone can come and say whatever they want,” she declared.
“We have seen a flow of activists within our region starting to interfere in our affairs. They may have been controlled in their own countries, but they will not come and destroy us here.”
The President alleged that some of these activists are under surveillance or pressure in their home countries and are now attempting to shift their focus to Tanzania.
She warned that these individuals, having contributed to unrest elsewhere, may be seeking to replicate that chaos in what she described as a “peaceful and united” nation.
“They have destroyed their countries, and now the only peaceful and united country is ours. Do not allow people who have ruined their countries to come and cause problems here,” Suluhu cautioned.
