Gov’t Breaks Silence on Ex-CJ Willy Mutunga’s Detention in Tanzania

The government has demanded the release of former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga following his detention at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. 

In a brief statement on Monday, May 19, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei called on Tanzanian authorities to immediately release the former Chief Justice and his delegation.

"We strongly urge the authorities in Tanzania to release the former Chief Justice of Kenya and his delegation consistent with the norms of the East African Community,” he said. 

Mutunga, who was accompanied by renowned activists Hussein Khalid and Hanifa Adan, was held upon arrival and denied entry into the country under unclear circumstances. 

The trio was travelling to Tanzania to observe legal proceedings involving Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu.

In a series of social media posts, Khalid said they had traveled to Tanzania as a show of solidarity with local lawyers and human rights defenders.

“Willy Mutunga, Hanifa Adan, and I have been detained at Julius Nyerere Airport, Dar es Salaam, as we came in for the observance of Tundu Lissu’s case.

"The trip was in solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and human rights defenders. They have not given reasons for the detention," he said in one of his updates.

According to Khalid, the three were escorted to an interrogation room inside the airport and told to wait for a senior officer.

“Following our detention, we’ve been brought to the interrogation room. They’ve told us to wait here for their senior officer – I guess the chief interrogator! We still don’t have our passports, nor do we know why we’re being detained," he added.

On Sunday, May 18, Sing'Oei was also forced to issue a statement after the People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader and Senior Counsel Martha Karua, was also detained and denied entry into Tanzania.

Reacting to the development, the PS confirmed that Kenya's diplomatic mission in Dar es Salaam had reached out to Tanzanian authorities.

“Our Mission in Dar es Salaam has reached out to relevant authorities in the United Republic of Tanzania and will be apprising further on the matter shortly,” he said in a brief statement on X.

However, despite the intervention, Karua was ultimately deported to Kenya.