Senator Osotsi speaks out in defense of Karua after deportation
Vihiga Senator Geoffrey Osotsi has come out strongly in defence of PLP party leader Martha Karua following her detention and subsequent deportation from Tanzania on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Speaking during a morning show on Monday, May 19, 2025, Osotsi criticised the Tanzanian authorities, terming their actions unfortunate, unnecessary, and a blatant violation of regional agreements.
Osotsi expressed deep disappointment over how the matter was handled, questioning why Karua, who was merely attending a court session in solidarity with a detained Tanzanian opposition leader, was treated like a criminal.
“It was unnecessary and unfortunate for Tanzania to do what they did. The East African Treaty is very clear on the free movement of people within East Africa, and for such an action to be taken by the Tanzanian government, it was backwards and undermines the spirit of the East African Community,” he said.
He further noted that the incident is a reflection of the lack of political tolerance across the region and a major setback in the journey toward the East African Political Federation.
“We are very far off from achieving the East African political federation because countries within the region are not on the same level as Kenya when it comes to upholding democratic ideals. Martha Karua was only going to attend a court session — she wasn’t even one of the lawyers representing the detained opposition leader,” he added.
Osotsi also called out Kenyan authorities for what he described as a passive reaction to the incident.
He urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to treat the matter with the seriousness it deserves.
“The Government of Kenya should be concerned. I saw a statement by the Foreign Affairs PS saying he would try to find out what happened. They should be concerned with the contest of upholding democratic ideals and in the contest of working towards a political federation within
Karua’s detention
This comes a day after Martha Karua was detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, shortly after arriving at 9:00 AM.
She was accompanied by two colleagues, human rights advocate Lynn Ngugi and Law Society of Kenya (LSK) council member Gloria Kimani.
The trio, invited as guests of the East Africa Law Society (EALS), intended to observe the court proceedings of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges.
Karua and her colleagues were denied entry, detained for approximately six hours, and subsequently deported back to Nairobi on Kenya Airways flight KQ 485.
