Babu Owino Calls On Gov’t To Bar Tanzanian President From Entering Kenya
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino wants Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu prohibited from entering Kenya for any reason.
This comes as the fallout from the imprisonment of three Kenyan lawyers at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam continues.
According to Babu Owino, Kenya should return the favor by barring the Head of State from entering the country after her administration imprisoned and deported Senior Counsel Martha Karua and two other lawyers on Sunday.
In a statement issued on Sunday, March 18, the outspoken MP, a harsh critic of Kenya’s Kwanza government, chastised Tanzania for what he described as abuse of Kenyan visitors.
Karua alleged that immigration officers had confiscated her passport and detained her at the airport without explanation.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has strongly condemned the detention of PLP leader Martha Karua at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
— TUKO.co.ke | The Heartbeat of Kenya (@Tuko_co_ke) May 18, 2025
Photo: Babu Owino (Facebook) pic.twitter.com/M4O0gZdcV6
“It’s very worrying to mistreat Kenyans when they come to Tanzania,” Babu Owino said.
“Detaining at Julius Nyerere International Airport is demeaning, unnecessary and amounts to a violation of rights.”
The MP went on to caution Tanzania’s Head of State from visiting Kenya, citing Karua’s treatment at the Julius Nyerere International Airport.
He added, “Don’t ever come to Kenya if you can’t behave. We will not entertain such conduct unbecoming of a Leader.”
Karua, along with two other activists, was reportedly in Tanzania as part of a delegation called by the East Africa Law Society.
Their visit came ahead of a major court hearing scheduled to hear the case of former Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Since Karua disclosed her imprisonment at the airport, a number of parties, including the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), have come up to denounce her situation.
The LSK made a demand to the Kenyan government to write to their counterparts in Tanzania seeking clarification on why members of the council faced potential deportation.
Activist Boniface Mwangi also attacked Tanzania’s administration, accusing President Suluhu of imposing unfair limitations just months before the country’s general elections.
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Former LSK president Nelson Havi also decried the episode, questioning the EAC’s purpose and pushing President William Ruto to discuss it with his Tanzanian counterpart, Samia Suluhu.
What is the purpose of the East African Community if Martha Karua is denied entry into Tanzania to practice law, and is instead deported? This is a matter that President William Ruto ought to take up with President Samia Suluhu and if unresolved, expel the Tanzanian ambassador.
— Nelson Havi (@NelsonHavi) May 18, 2025
Furthermore, Havi advised the government to dismiss the Tanzanian ambassador to Kenya if the appropriate actions to fix the anomaly were not taken.
“What is the purpose of the East African Community if Martha Karua is denied entry into Tanzania to practise law and is instead deported?” Havi posed.
“This is a matter that President William Ruto ought to take up with President Samia Suluhu, and if unresolved, expel the Tanzanian ambassador.”
Babu Owino Calls On Gov’t To Bar Tanzanian President From Entering Kenya
