Wetang’ula defends Tanzania amid tensions with Kenyan activists

Kenya’s National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has urged Kenyans to maintain peace and good neighbourliness with Tanzania, amid rising tensions sparked by recent actions against Kenyan activists and legal professionals in Dar es Salaam.

Speaking at Cardinal Otunga Girls High School in Bungoma County on Friday, Mr Wetang’ula reminded Kenyans that the East African Community (EAC) is founded on the people of the region, not just flags or presidents.

“The East African Community is not a community of flags, is not a community of presidents, it’s a community of the people of East Africa, started by our founding fathers, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Mwalimu Nyerere and Dr Milton Obote of Uganda,” Mr Wetang'ula said.

His comments come after increased online criticism from Kenyan activists following the detention and deportation of Kenyan Senior Counsel Ms Martha Karua, former Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, and Dr Willy Mutunga, former Chief Justice of Kenya. 

Both were briefly detained by Tanzanian authorities after crossing the border to attend opposition leader Tundu Lissu’s court case.

Activist Mr Boniface Mwangi, however, suffered a harsher fate. He was abducted, held incommunicado, and reportedly tortured in Dar es Salaam before being dumped at the Horohoro border near Lungalunga, raising alarm among Kenyan civil society.

Despite these incidents, Speaker Wetang’ula cautioned Kenyans against what he called “a bad habit” of stirring trouble across East Africa.

“I want to ask my fellow Kenyans who have started roaming all over East Africa to cause trouble, to go and cause disaffection, to go and appear to know what others they think don’t know. Please stop,” he said.

He further appealed to Kenyan lawyers and activists to maintain decorum and respect for neighbouring countries.

“You are a lawyer in Kenya. We look at your records; you have never had distinction as a lawyer in this country. Then you want to run away to Tanzania to show you are a lawyer,” he added.

Mr. Wetang’ula emphasised the importance of peaceful coexistence, trade, and shared communities between East African nations.

“Kenya wants peace and good neighbourliness with our neighbours and partners in the East African Community. Now we talk about how to encourage our friends--our chief justices and other distinguished Kenyans--please don’t be the ones to ferment frosty relations between Kenya and its neighbours.”

The remarks come amid heightened diplomatic sensitivities following President William Ruto’s apology to Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan over online insults hurled by some Kenyan youth, including the disparaging nickname “Idi Amin Mama.”

Ms Suluhu had earlier condemned interference by foreign actors, stating that those who have failed in their own countries should not bring bad politics to Tanzania.

Speaking separately in Machakos, civil society organisations under the Okoa Uchumi Campaign were unamused by the diplomatic pivot.

“In a self-preserving move, the President of Kenya and the Chair of the East African Community rushed to offer an apology to Tanzania without demanding accountability,” the coalition said.

“It's pretentious to believe the same mouth that denied accountability can now deliver justice to grieving Kenyans.”

They have demanded that the Kenyan government defends its citizens across borders, particularly those subjected to torture and gross inhuman treatment, and not prioritise presidential image management over the lives and dignity of its people.

The Okoa Uchumi Campaign is a coalition of civil society organisations committed to economic justice, accountable governance, and constitutionalism. Member organisations include Transparency International Kenya, TISA, Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi!, Bajeti Hub, Christian Aid Kenya, and Bunge Mashinani, among others.