Nancy Odindo, a TUKO.co.ke journalist, has over four years of experience covering Kenyan politics, news, and features for digital and print media.

– The Tanzanian government has deported three prominent Kenyan activists and human rights defenders who had travelled to observe the ongoing court case of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

Among those denied entry and subsequently deported were former chief justice Willy Mutunga, Hussein Khalid of HAKI Africa, and activist Hanifa Adan.

The trio arrived at Julius Nyerere International Airport in the early hours of Monday, May 19, but were detained and held without explanation before being flown back to Kenya.

Hussein Khalid confirmed their detention and lack of access to legal or immigration clarification.

“We’ve been brought to an interrogation room and told to wait for a senior officer—presumably the chief interrogator. We still don’t have our passports and have not been told why we’re being detained.”

Moments later, Hanifa stated that they were being deported to Nairobi.

The group had travelled in solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and civil society actors to attend Lissu’s case at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court.

Lissu faces charges of treason and three cybercrime-related offences linked to statements made during a political rally and on social media.

Meanwhile, fellow Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who was allowed entry, raised a security alarm from his Serena Hotel's room in Dar es Salaam.

“My life is in danger. There are armed men in civilian clothes outside my hotel room claiming to be police officers, but they’ve refused to identify themselves. They will have to break the door to remove me. I’m not going to open it,” he said in a statement.

The incident has sparked regional concern, with lawyer and political analyst Willis Otieno decrying the treatment of Mutunga and others as a violation of the East African Community Treaty.

“Detaining a former chief justice without cause is not just a diplomatic embarrassment—it’s a betrayal of the principles of good governance, rule of law, and human rights under Article 6 of the treaty,” he said. “If Jumuiya can treat regional human rights defenders like criminals, what justice can the ordinary citizen expect?”

The Tanzanian government is yet to issue a formal response to the deportations or security concerns raised.

Meanwhile, the deportation comes hours after senior advocate and politician Martha Karua, alongside human rights defenders Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi, was detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam and subsequently deported to Nairobi.

The trio arrived at the airport at 9am, where their passports were flagged and referred to a supervisor before being informed that they would not be allowed into the country.

They had also travelled to Tanzania as guests of the East Africa Law Society and were expected to observe court proceedings related to opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

Source: TUKO.co.ke