Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has strongly condemned the detention and planned deportation of prominent Kenyan lawyer and politician Martha Karua and her colleagues at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Karua, the leader of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), revealed on May 18, 2025, that she had been denied entry into Tanzania and was being held at the airport alongside fellow Kenyan lawyers and human rights defenders Lynn Ngugi and Gloria Kimani. According to Karua, the trio were detained upon arrival and informed they would be deported back to Kenya.
“I have been denied entry into Tanzania and I and two colleagues are awaiting deportation at Mwalimu Nyerere International Airport Dar es Salaam,” Karua posted on her verified X (formerly Twitter) account. She added that immigration officials had confiscated her passport and referred her case to a supervisor, keeping her waiting for over an hour without any clear explanation.
All three lawyers were reportedly in Tanzania as invited guests of the East Africa Law Society (EALS) and the Law Society of Kenya. Karua expressed deep concern about the implications of their detention on regional integration and the free movement of East African citizens.
“I am concerned that, as a citizen of Jumuiya, my access within the East African Community (EAC) appears inexplicably restricted,” she said.
Karua suspects their denial of entry may be politically motivated, given their interest in the ongoing treason case against Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu. “I suspect all visitors who may be interested in the politically motivated case against Tundu Lissu are being denied entry,” she stated.
Reacting to the incident, LSK President Faith Odhiambo decried the treatment of the Kenyan lawyers, calling it “unfortunate” and a violation of EAC principles.
“This is quite unfortunate that though we should be enjoying free movement of persons within the East African region, Kenyans can be detained for merely being lawyers,” Odhiambo said. She urged Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr. Abraham Korir Sing’oei to intervene in the matter urgently.
