Babu Owino Demands Govt Bar Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu From Entering Kenya
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has called on the Kenyan government to bar Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu from setting foot in Kenya. This follows a diplomatic row sparked by the detention and deportation of Senior Counsel Martha Karua and two other Kenyan lawyers at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
According to Babu Owino, President Suluhu’s administration has shown blatant disrespect toward Kenyan citizens, particularly public figures, and the government should reciprocate with equally stern measures.
“It’s very worrying to mistreat Kenyans when they come to Tanzania. Detaining them at Julius Nyerere International Airport is demeaning, unnecessary and amounts to a violation of rights,” Owino said in a statement.
Karua and her fellow activists were reportedly in Tanzania on an official invitation from the East Africa Law Society (EALS) to attend sessions relating to former opposition leader Tundu Lissu’s legal matters. However, they were detained upon arrival, passports confiscated, and later deported without official explanation.
Babu Owino reacted harshly, warning President Suluhu:
“Don’t ever come to Kenya if you can’t behave. We will not entertain such conduct unbecoming of a leader.”
Karua’s ordeal has drawn widespread condemnation from legal and civil society bodies in Kenya. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) demanded formal clarification from the Tanzanian authorities and urged the Kenyan government to engage its counterpart urgently.
Activist Boniface Mwangi accused the Tanzanian government of political suppression and reminded the public of the upcoming Tanzanian elections, saying the deportation reflects broader authoritarian tendencies.
Former LSK president Nelson Havi also weighed in:
“What is the purpose of the East African Community if Martha Karua is denied entry into Tanzania to practise law and is instead deported? This is a matter that President William Ruto ought to take up with President Samia Suluhu. If unresolved, Kenya should expel the Tanzanian ambassador.”
Tensions are now high between the two neighboring countries, with pressure mounting on Kenya’s leadership to respond decisively. As of press time, neither the Tanzanian nor Kenyan government had issued an official statement on the incident.
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Babu Owino Demands Govt Bar Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu From Entering Kenya