By Joseph Ludovick
Tanzanians are a peace loving people, defined by a history of diplomacy, order, and an unwavering respect for sovereignty.
But recent events surrounding the arraignment of Tundu Lissu and the shocking attempt by a group of Kenyans led by activist turned politician Martha Karua to interfere with our judicial process must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
This isn’t Pan-African solidarity, it is unwarranted meddling and a grotesque abuse of cross border friendship.
On May 16th, 2025, Martha Karua and her entourage were rightly denied entry at Julius Nyerere International Airport.
According to immigration officials, their intentions were not tourism, business, or diplomatic engagement, but something far more sinister: political agitation under the guise of human rights observation.
They came with cameras, statements, and foreign media contacts ready to cast Tanzania in a negative light without even understanding the context of the legal proceedings underway.
Let us be clear: Tundu Lissu, like any Tanzanian, is subject to the laws of the land. If he faces court proceedings, he has access to legal representation, fair trial procedures, and appeal channels. Tanzanian democracy is maturing through its own internal mechanisms, not through foreign drama.
International law gives every sovereign nation the power to determine who enters its borders. Under the Immigration Act, Cap.
54 of Tanzania, the Minister or Commissioner of Immigration has full discretion to deny entry to any non citizen deemed likely to pose a threat to national security or public order.
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) also affirms the sovereign rights of states to protect their internal affairs without interference, even from diplomats let alone opposition activists from across the border.
Furthermore, the East African Community Treaty, while promoting regional integration, does not permit citizens of one member state to interfere in the domestic politics of another. Martha Karua’s actions violate not only the spirit of this treaty but also fundamental diplomatic norms.
This isn’t the first time Karua has attempted to inject herself into the internal affairs of another country. In 2023, she was turned away in Uganda while attempting to “observe” what she called human rights violations in Kampala.
In Rwanda, her visa application was quietly declined following a history of inflammatory statements about governance in Kigali. Clearly, this is a pattern of behaviour: she seems determined to play the Pan-African conscience without cleaning up the mess in her own backyard.
While Karua and her cohort meddle in Tanzanian affairs, Kenya is bleeding. The abduction and mysterious killings of human rights activists in Nairobi remain unsolved.
Just last year, over 30 cases of forced disappearances were documented by Amnesty International. What about the unresolved murder of lawyer Willie Kimani and the continued silence on political killings that have rocked the Kenyan opposition? Instead of flying to Tanzania with a camera crew, Martha Karua should be demanding justice in her own courts.
Moreover, Kenya’s electoral system is far from ideal. The ghosts of the 2007 post-election violence still haunt many.
Their Supreme Court has been accused of political bias, and corruption runs deep across police and judicial institutions. These are the fires Martha Karua should be putting out, not fanning imaginary ones in Tanzania.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s firm and measured stand against this intrusion must be applauded. Her leadership is defined by calm diplomacy, not populist confrontation.
In defending Tanzania’s sovereignty, she upholds not only the constitution but the dignity of every Tanzanian. As she rightly said, "We welcome partnerships, not puppeteers." Let that message echo across the region.
Tanzanians have no appetite for regional drama or self righteous lectures from Kenyan elites. We will not accept a replay of the colonial script where outsiders presume to dictate the terms of our justice.
Martha Karua and her group were not detained, they were protected from embarrassing themselves further and from disrupting a sovereign judicial process.
It is time for Kenya’s political class to respect its neighbours. Tanzania is not a satellite state of Nairobi NGOs. We are a sovereign nation with laws, leaders, and a population capable of deciding its destiny.
Any attempt to destabilize that through cheap foreign theatrics will be met with legal firmness and patriotic unity.
To our Kenyan brothers and sisters: we value peace and partnership. But to Martha Karua and her ilk: keep your activism at home. Tanzania belongs to Tanzanians. Hands off Tanzania. Now and always.