Principal Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Korir Sing’oei, has addressed the detention of People’s Liberation Party (PLP) party leader Martha Karua and her Kenyan counterparts at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, after being denied entry.

In a statement shared on his official X account on Sunday, May 18, 2025, Sing’oei confirmed that Kenya’s High Commission in Dar es Salaam has reached out to Tanzanian authorities and will provide further updates on the matter shortly.

“Our mission in Dar es Salaam has reached out to relevant authorities in the United Republic of Tanzania and will be apprising further on the matter shortly,” Sing’oei disclosed.

The PS confirmation comes shortly after Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo had sought Kenya’s intervention on the matter.

Taking to her official X account, Odhiambo condemned the incident and called on Sing’oei to intervene in the situation with urgency.

She also expressed concerns that Kenyans could be detained for merely being lawyers when they should be enjoying free movement of persons within the East African region.

“This is quite unfortunate that, though we should be enjoying free movement of persons within the East African region, Kenyans can be detained for merely being lawyers. I hope @SingoeiAKorir can urgently intervene,” Odhiambo wrote on X.

On Sunday, May 18, 2025, Karua disclosed that they were detained at the airport awaiting deportation after being denied entry. She was accompanied by LSK’s Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi.

The trio had travelled to Tanzania to observe the legal proceedings of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Karua stated that their passports were seized, and they were held without explanation before being informed of their impending deportation.

“I arrived at Dar es Salaam Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport at nine am, and immigration referred my passport to the supervisor, who has kept me waiting for an hour as she consults her superiors. I am concerned that as a citizen of @jumuiya, my access within @jumuiya country appears inexplicably restricted,” Karua stated.

“Apart from me, @gloria_kimani and @ngugi_lynn are also detained. The common thread that binds us is that we are all guests of @ealawsociety.”

Although the reason for their detention was not revealed to them, Karua claimed that the move by Tanzania to deny them entry is due to the fear that they might be interested in the case against Tundu Lissu.

The case against Lissu, who has been in detention for weeks now, will be heard on Monday, May 19, 2025.

Human rights activists in Kenya and Tanzania have called out President Samia Suluhu over the incident, which they say violates human rights.

Karua became at odds with the Tanzanian government after she attended Tundu Lissu’s court case.