Senator Oketch slams Mudavadi over his comments on activists detained in Tanzania
Migori Senator Eddie Oketch has strongly criticised Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi for defending Tanzanian authorities and President Samia Suluhu’s handling of the deportation of Kenyan activists.
In a firm statement shared on his official X account on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, Oketch accused Mudavadi of misinterpreting the East African Community (EAC) framework.
He cited the EAC Treaty of 1999 and the EAC Common Market Protocol (2015), specifically Article 104, which guarantees the free movement of labour, services, and goods among member states.
“CS Mudavadi is mistaken. The East African Community Treaty of 1999 envisions harmonised laws across member states. Article 104 of the EAC Common Market Protocol (2015) expressly guarantees the free movement of labour, services, and goods within the region,” Oketch posted.
The senator went on to condemn the recent deportations by Tanzanian authorities, terming them as acts that go against the very principles of regional integration.
He warned that such moves could pose a threat to the democratic values shared by EAC member states.
“The recent deportation of Kenyans from Tanzania undermines this spirit of integration and is a disturbing signal for democracy in the region,” he added.
Oketch concluded by stating that when one member state embraces dictatorship, it poses a danger to the democratic health of the entire community.
“A dictatorship in one member state is a threat to democratic values across the entire community,” he asserted.
Mudavadi’s remarks
This comes a day after Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi commented on the deportation of Kenyan activists from Tanzania, defending Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu’s remarks.
Speaking during a local TV show on May 20, 2025, Mudavadi suggested there was “some truth” to Suluhu’s concerns about Kenyan activists interfering in Tanzania’s affairs, citing a perceived lack of etiquette and overboard behaviour in Kenya’s political dialogue, with them transferring it to other countries.
“I will not protest that (Samia Suluhu’s remarks) because I think there is some truth. Let us face a few facts. The level of etiquette and insults that we see in Kenya, even though we have the freedom of speech, sometimes goes overboard to some extent. She is saying people have sometimes gone to extremes in their utterances in Kenya, which is a fact,” Mudavadi stated.
“What we need to talk about is, can we get to the bottom of the treatment there? I am a Kenyan too, and the fact of the matter is that our approach and our utterances, because we are free in speech, have lacked integrity.”
He acknowledged Suluhu’s right to prioritise Tanzania’s sovereignty, despite the East African Community’s freedom of movement policies.
The activists, including Martha Karua, Willy Mutunga, Boniface Mwangi, Lynn Ngugi, and Gloria Kimani, were detained and deported after attempting to stand in solidarity with Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
It’s not only Senator Oketch who has come out to react to Mudavadi’s remarks; it has also drawn criticism from other leaders.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has also come out to term Musalia’s remarks as “bewildering” and questioned his commitment to Kenyan rights
