PLP Party Leader Martha Karua.
People’s Liberation Party (PLP) Party leader Martha Karua was on Sunday, May 18, denied entry into Tanzania.
In a statement via X, Karua said she arrived at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport, but her passport was seized.
Karua was detained alongside human rights defenders Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi.
“I have been denied entry into Tanzania and I and two colleagues are awaiting deportation at Mwalimu Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam,” Karua claimed.
According to Karua, she arrived in Tanzania at 9.00 am, and an immigration official at the airport referred her passport to the supervisor.
“I arrived at Dar es Salaam Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport at 9:00 am, and immigration referred my passport to the supervisor, who kept me waiting for an hour as she consulted her superiors.
“The supervisor has now informed us that our entry to Tanzania has been denied. No reasons given. I am concerned that as a citizen of the East African Community, my access within an EAC country appears inexplicably restricted,” she stated.
Karua, Kimani, and Ngugi are part of a legal and civil society delegation invited by the East Africa Law Society (EALS) in coordination with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Uganda Law Society.
Their visit comes ahead of a court session expected to deliberate on the case of former Tanzanian presidential candidate and opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Karua, who is also currently representing Uganda’s opposition leader Kizza Besigye, has publicly expressed support for Lissu since his arrest.
Also Read: Why Martha Karua Stands Tall as Ruto Shrinks in the Shadow
