People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has come to the defense of retired Chief Justice Willy Mutunga following his deportation from Tanzania on May 19, 2025, amid escalating regional tension over human rights monitoring.
Mutunga, alongside two other Kenyan activists—Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid—was denied entry into Tanzania and held for over 10 hours at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
The group had travelled to observe court proceedings involving Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Karua responded to commentary on the matter posted on social media by lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, who claimed Tanzanian intelligence viewed Mutunga as “poisonous,” while welcoming his successor, David Maraga, whom they deemed “harmless.”
“Willy is not poisonous,” Karua said in a brief but pointed reply to Ahmednasir via X (formerly Twitter).
The deportation of the three follows Karua’s own removal from Tanzania a day earlier. She had been detained alongside Law Society of Kenya Council member Gloria Kimani and Pan-African activist Lynn Ngugi.
Tanzanian authorities also detained Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire and Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who is reportedly facing possible immigration-related charges and threats of a three-year jail term.
The crackdown comes amid strong warnings from Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who accused foreign activists of attempting to destabilize the country.
Speaking at a public event on Monday, Suluhu reiterated her commitment to safeguarding Tanzania’s sovereignty.
“We have seen a flow of activists within our region starting to interfere in our affairs,” she said. “They have destroyed their countries, and now the only peaceful and united country is ours.”
The Tanzanian head of state criticized what she called growing foreign commentary on the country’s internal affairs through digital platforms, warning that while freedom of expression is global, Tanzania’s national stability is “not negotiable.”
Karua, however, maintained that her presence in Tanzania was lawful, citing regional protocols under the East African Community that permit free movement of citizens.