• Mutunga, together with two Kenyan activists, Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid, were detained at the Julius Nyerere Airport, Dar es Salaam, pending what officials said was deportation.
• Almost a dozen activists had apparently flown to Tanzania which prompted action by local authorities.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — Former Chief Justice of Kenya, Dr. Willy Mutunga, and two prominent Kenyan activists were detained and later deported from Tanzania on Sunday evening, sparking outrage from civil society and human rights organizations across East Africa.

Dr. Mutunga, along with human rights lawyer Hussein Khalid and journalist-activist Hanifa Adan, were stopped upon arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. The three had travelled to Tanzania in solidarity with former Tanzanian presidential candidate and opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is facing treason charges in a controversial case widely criticized by international rights groups.

The activists were reportedly detained for several hours overnight without explanation from Tanzanian authorities. In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Khalid said, “We, @WMutunga, @Honeyfarsafi and I have been detained at Julius Nyerere Airport, Dar es Salaam, as we came in for the observance of @TunduALissu’s case. The trip was in solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and human rights defenders. They have not given reasons for the detention.”

Hanifa Adan, who also tweeted about the ordeal, wrote, “Hello guys. We’ve been detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport, and we’re not being told why. This is utterly ridiculous and petty. It’s 3am and it’s cold here damn. I’m here with Willy Mutunga and Hussein Khalid.”

By Monday morning, the trio had been held at the airport for over four hours. Hanifa updated followers again, stating, “We’ve been held at Julius Nyerere International Airport since 2 a.m. The terminals are deserted, the floors are cold, and we’re hungry. Everyone seems to have gone to sleep, leaving us stranded. I’m genuinely asking what President Samia is so afraid of? This situation is utterly absurd.”

Their detention follows a similar incident earlier on Sunday, where Martha Karua, leader of Kenya’s People’s Liberation Party (PLP), was also denied entry and deported. Karua was traveling with Law Society of Kenya Council member Gloria Kimani and Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network representative Lynn Ngugi. The group, too, was held at the airport before being deported to Kenya without official explanation.

Meanwhile, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who was also in Dar es Salaam, reported being targeted by unidentified armed men in civilian clothes at his hotel room. “My life is in danger. I’m at Serena Hotel, Dar es Salaam, and there are armed men in civilian clothes outside my room. They claim they are police officers, but they have refused to identify themselves,” Mwangi posted.

After the men left, Mwangi added that he would not leave his room until Tanzanian lawyers arrived. “My bags are packed, and I’m ready to go with those people when the Tanzanian lawyers who are following up on this matter arrive. For now, I will stay put.”

The wave of detentions and deportations comes amid rising tensions in Tanzania following the treason charges against Tundu Lissu in April 2025. Opposition parties and rights defenders have accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government of intensifying its crackdown on dissent, citing an uptick in arbitrary arrests, unexplained disappearances, and political repression.

The East African Civil Society Coalition and multiple human rights watchdogs have condemned the actions by Tanzanian authorities, calling them “a blatant violation of regional democratic norms and international human rights obligations.”

As calls for accountability grow, the Tanzanian government has yet to issue an official statement regarding the detention and deportation of the Kenyan delegation.