National Assembly Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee Chairperson Nelson Koech has weighed in on the move by Tanzanian authorities to deny People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua entry to the East African country.
Speaking in an interview with Citizen TV on Monday, Koech, however, said the move undermines the East African Community (EAC) Treaty, which allows free movement within the region.
“The right to admit any citizen is a reserve to the government that they are visiting, so if the Tanzanian government feels that Martha Karua is not supposed to be in their country, they have a right and probably have reasons,” he said.
Koech stated that so far, only Karua’s side of the story has been made public, and there has not been any official statement from the Tanzanian authorities on why she was detained and deported.
He added that it is time Karua focused on Kenyan issues, noting that the former Justice Minister has also faced diplomatic hurdles in a Ugandan court.
“I also want to say that maybe Karua should focus on Kenya. There are lawyers in Tanzania, and she is not the only lawyer who must represent political detainees,” he said.
“Karua should reflect and see if there are issues that these countries are uncomfortable with.”
He questioned why Karua has been seeking to represent people in courts across the EAC, reiterating that there must have been justifying reasons leading to her ordeal.
Affirming that Tanzanian authorities had the right to their actions, Koech said he was sympathetic to Karua’s detention and deportation.
He added that the move undermines the EAC treaty of free trade and movement of people within the community.
On Sunday, Karua said she was detained alongside two attorneys at the airport upon their arrival at 9am.
“I arrived at Dar es Salaam, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport at 9 am, and immigration referred my passport to the supervisor, who kept me waiting for an hour as she consulted her superiors,” she said.
“I have been denied entry into Tanzania and I and two colleagues are awaiting deportation at Mwalimu Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.”
She said she was being held alongside fellow human rights defenders and lawyers Lynn Ngugi and Gloria Kimani, all guests of the East Africa Law Society (EALS) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
Karua said she was concerned about the restriction on her movement within the East African Community (EAC).
“I am concerned that, as a citizen of Jumuiya, my access within the East African Community (EAC) appears inexplicably restricted,” she said.
Karua claimed their denial of entry was linked to their interest in the politically sensitive case of detained Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges.
“The common thread between Gloria Kimani, a council member of LSK, and Lynn Ngugi is that we are guests of EALS. I suspect all visitors who may be interested in the politically motivated case against Tundu Lissu are being denied entry,” Karua said.
