Martha Karua Deported from Tanzania Ahead of Lissu Trial

• May 19, 2025

Kenyan lawyer and 2027 presidential hopeful Martha Karua was deported from Tanzania on Sunday after arriving to attend the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges that could lead to the death penalty.

Karua, who previously served as Kenya’s justice minister and has spoken out against democratic decline in East Africa, said she was expelled immediately upon arrival in Dar es Salaam. Her group had planned to observe the high-profile court case involving Lissu, a key opponent of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

According to Karua, she and her team were stopped at the airport, detained without any charges, and placed on a return flight the same day. Speaking to reporters at Nairobi airport, she called the incident a clear sign that Tanzanian authorities are unwilling to provide a fair trial for Lissu. “We were detained for no offence, for merely seeking to stand in solidarity and observe the trial,” she said.

Lissu’s Chadema party was barred from participating in Tanzania’s October elections after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct, demanding reforms instead. Karua said the ruling party in Tanzania is targeting strong opposition candidates to ensure they run unopposed.

“This shows the government is subverting the law to lock up main contenders,” she said, adding that Lissu’s arrest and the treatment of his party raise serious concerns about the integrity of Tanzania’s upcoming elections.

Karua’s People’s Liberation Party, launched earlier this year as part of her preparations for a 2027 presidential bid, condemned the deportation. In a statement, the party called it “a blatant violation of the principles of the East African Community,” to which both Kenya and Tanzania belong.

In recent remarks to AFP, Karua warned of growing repression across East Africa. She accused Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania of eroding democratic values, saying opposition voices are being silenced ahead of elections. “It’s a pattern. They are neutering the opposition,” she said.

Karua also criticized the state of governance in Kenya, citing arbitrary arrests, abductions, and a failure by authorities to uphold the law. Human rights groups say more than 60 people were killed during anti-government protests in Kenya last year, with over 80 others abducted—some of whom remain missing. President William Ruto has denied involvement by security forces, saying all abductees have returned to their families.

Karua is currently representing Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who was kidnapped in Kenya and taken to Uganda for trial, also on treason charges. Uganda is set to hold elections in January.

Adding to the tension, Ugandan army chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of President Yoweri Museveni, recently warned voters against opposing the ruling party. In a message posted on X, he threatened to deport those he described as “traitors” in public.