NAIROBI, Kenya – A diplomatic spat is brewing between Kenya and Tanzania following the controversial deportation of prominent Kenyan lawyers and activists from Dar es Salaam.
The incident, tied to the treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, has sparked a fierce exchange between lawmakers on both sides of the border—and it’s playing out in full view of East Africa.
Among those kicked out were former Justice Minister and PLP Kenya leader Martha Karua, ex-Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Law Society of Kenya’s Gloria Kimani, and rights campaigners Lynn Ngugi, Hanifa Adan, and Hussein Khalid.
Activists Boniface Mwangi and Uganda’s Agather Atuhaire weren’t just deported—they were reportedly held incommunicado, tortured, and later dumped near the Kenyan border.
Tanzanian Parliament: No Room for “Imported Activism”
Tanzanian lawmakers, rather than backing down, threw their full support behind President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s hardline stance.
In a fiery Monday session, MPs framed the deportations as necessary defense against “foreign interference” and what they called “imported activism” designed to destabilize the country.
Geita MP Joseph Musukuma didn’t mince words: “We in Tanzania have nothing to learn from Kenya—absolutely nothing,” he said, declaring that Tanzania is ahead “in politics, intelligence, and everything else.”
The rhetoric went beyond mere politics. MPs also condemned Kenyan social media users for mocking President Suluhu online and accused the visiting activists of violating Tanzania’s sovereignty.
Sifuna Fires Back in Swahili
Senator Edwin Sifuna wasn’t about to let those jabs slide. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he proposed that Tuesday’s Senate session be conducted entirely in Swahili so their Tanzanian counterparts could “understand every word.”
“Kesho italazimika Kiswahili tu bungeni ili wenzetu wa Tanzania watupate kwa njia ya uhakiki,” he wrote, vowing a pointed response.
Meanwhile, Martha Karua resurfaced online with a sharp repost of a clip from Tanzanian MP Maryam Omar Zaid, who had suggested Karua and others should have been “dealt with once and for all.” Karua didn’t let that slide either—she tagged Suluhu, her ruling CCM party, and the East African Community with a curt caption: “For your attention.”
This latest confrontation adds to growing concern over Tanzania’s record on political freedoms.
Critics have accused President Suluhu of sliding into authoritarianism and silencing dissent. Tanzanian MPs dismissed those claims, insisting that their nation is simply defending its sovereignty.
This cross-border drama isn’t just about deportations—it’s a collision of politics, activism, and national pride in East Africa’s two largest economies.
From Sifuna’s call for a Swahili-only Senate session to Musukuma’s bold declaration that Tanzania has “nothing to learn from Kenya,” the feud is quickly turning theatrical.
What began as a quiet courtroom support mission for an opposition figure has spiraled into a full-blown diplomatic squabble, underscoring just how fragile regional unity can be when politics get personal.
