
Martha Karua, leader of Kenya’s People’s Liberation Party (PLP), has come out swinging against Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, accusing her of spreading “false and dangerous” claims about a supposed invasion by Kenyan activists.
The fiery statement, issued Monday evening, follows a controversial move by Tanzanian authorities to detain and deport six prominent Kenyans — including Karua herself, ex-Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, activist Boniface Mwangi, and journalist Hanifa Adan — shortly after they landed at Julius Nyerere International Airport.
According to Karua, the group entered Tanzania legally, following all required protocols. But instead of being welcomed under the East African Community’s open-border agreement, they were allegedly met with hostility, detained, and forcibly ejected — a move Karua called “a disgrace to regional unity.”
“Samia Suluhu, we did not invade your country,” Karua declared. “We are citizens of the EAC bloc. We came in peace, through legal channels — and yet we were denied entry and deported like criminals.”

The explosive accusations come just hours after President Suluhu issued a stern warning during a public rally, blaming foreign activists — specifically from Kenya — for stirring unrest and attempting to “destabilize” Tanzania’s internal aaffairs.
“They’ve ruined their countries, now they want to do the same here,” Suluhu said, accusing unnamed activists of spreading politically charged content on social media aimed at inciting Tanzanian citizens.She further stated that several videos circulating online accuse her of bias, but insisted her only mission is to “protect the sovereignty of Tanzania.”
The Kenyan delegation, according to sources, was heading to show solidarity with jailed opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges — a move that clearly did not sit well with Tanzanian authorities.
In what now appears to be a full-blown diplomatic incident, questions are being raised across Kenya and beyond. Did Tanzania violate EAC agreements?
Is the Suluhu government cracking down on human rights defenders under the guise of national security?
What is clear is that this bold clash has sent shockwaves through East Africa — and the fallout may just be beginning.