Faith Odhiambo, President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), has spoken out about a troubling incident where several Kenyan lawyers were detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Tanzania.
Among them is Martha Karua, the leader of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), who revealed that she was denied entry into the country and was facing deportation back to Kenya.
Karua made the statement on May 18, 2025, saying that her passport was taken from her immediately upon arrival at the airport in Dar es Salaam.
According to her, Tanzanian immigration officials refused to allow her into the country without giving a clear reason.
Karua posted on her verified X account that she and two other Kenyan women, Lynn Ngugi and Gloria Kimani, were being held at the airport and were told they would be deported.
Both Ngugi and Kimani are known human rights defenders and lawyers. Karua explained that after arriving at around 9 a.m., her passport was handed to a supervisor who kept her waiting for more than an hour without explaining what was going on.
She was deeply concerned about the way she was treated and questioned why her rights as a citizen of the East African Community were being ignored.
In her post, Karua said she felt her freedom to travel within the East African region was being limited for reasons that were not made clear to her.
She also noted that both Ngugi and Kimani were invited guests of the East Africa Law Society (EALS) and the Law Society of Kenya. According to Karua, their visit was likely connected to their interest in the case of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who has been charged with treason.
She suspects that the authorities are preventing anyone involved in or interested in Lissu’s case from entering the country. Karua’s remarks have raised alarm among legal professionals and rights activists across the region.
Faith Odhiambo reacted strongly to the incident, expressing disappointment that Kenyan lawyers could be treated this way simply for doing their job.
She stated that this kind of treatment goes against the spirit of unity and free movement that the East African Community is supposed to promote.
Odhiambo called on Kenya’s foreign affairs officials, including Sing’oei Korir, to urgently step in and address the matter. This incident raises serious concerns about political interference in the legal profession and shows how regional cooperation is being tested when lawyers and activists are targeted just for standing up for justice.
Many are now waiting to see how both the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments respond to the issue.
Leave feedback about this