President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania has issued a stern warning to Kenyan citizens, urging them to stop interfering in her country’s internal affairs or attempting to destabilize it.
Her warning came just hours after Tanzania expelled six Kenyan political activists from its territory.
Among those expelled were Martha Karua, leader of Kenya’s opposition People’s Liberation Party (PLP), and her colleagues Willy Mutunga, Hussein Khalid, and Hanifa Adan. They had traveled to Tanzania to observe the court proceedings of Tundu Lissu, the leader of CHADEMA, the main opposition party in Tanzania.
Lissu has been detained for some time and faces serious charges, including treason.
Prior to her expulsion, Martha Karua had been briefly detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
Recently, Karua publicly criticized Tanzania, stating that there is “an EAC member state that continues to silence the voice of opposition in the region.”
Following the expulsion of Karua and her team, President Samia made a strong statement declaring that Tanzania will not tolerate anyone trying to disrupt its peace and security.
She said:
“We are beginning to see activists interfering with our internal matters. If they are banned in their own countries, they should not come here to incite unrest. This country remains one of the few stable and secure nations, and we will not allow troublemakers from elsewhere to disturb our peace.”
President Samia also directed Tanzanian authorities not to allow individuals who have disrespected their own countries to enter Tanzania.
