Aasai

Former Chief Justice David Maraga has dismissed allegations that his visit to Tanzania was meant to interfere with the country’s politics. Speaking at the launch of the United Green Movement (UGM) Party in Kwale County, Maraga clarified that his trip was to show solidarity with Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is facing charges of incitement and treason. “We did not go to fight the Tanzanian government. We went in support of democracy,” Maraga stated.

His comments come in the wake of a tense diplomatic situation involving the arrest and deportation of regional activists, including Kenya’s Boniface Mwangi and Uganda’s Agather Atuhaire, who had traveled to Tanzania to follow Lissu’s court proceedings. Both were allegedly tortured before being dumped at their respective borders. Mwangi returned to Kenya with visible injuries, while Atuhaire said they were lucky to be alive.

 Prominent Kenyan figures, including Martha Karua and Willy Mutunga, were also barred from entering Tanzania on May 18. Karua, who had arrived to represent Lissu in court, was deported shortly after landing in Dar es Salaam. She condemned the Tanzanian government’s actions as unconstitutional and a violation of international human rights.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu has stood firm against the backlash, warning of increased foreign interference. She claimed the detained activists aimed to destabilize Tanzania and urged citizens to guard the nation’s peace. “They’ve already destabilized their countries. Let them not come to disrupt us,” she said during a national address.