Willy Mutunga, activists Hanifa and Hussein Khalid deported from Tanzania
Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, activist-cum-journalist Hanifa Adan, and activist Hussein Khalid have been deported from Tanzania.
The deportation of the trio comes hours after they were detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport and denied entry into the neighbouring country.
Hanifa, in a statement shared via her official X account on Monday, May 19, 2025, said that they were set to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi at 4:00 pm.
She hailed the Kenya Airways (KQ) staff in Tanzania for streamlining the deportation process for them.
“Successful deportation from Tanzania. We are to arrive in Kenya at 4pm, in sha Allah. Shout out to KQ staff in TZ who streamlined the process for us! Tanzania kwa jumla, not yet Uhuru!!!! Basi sasa funikeni kombe mwanaharamu apite,” Hanifa stated.
No reason given
Khalid, on his part, expressed concerns that the Tanzanian authorities had not given them any reasons behind their detention and denial of entry.
In a statement shared via his official X account, the Voices Of Community Activists and Leaders of Africa (VOCAL Africa) CEO stated that they had been put on a 2:50 pm flight that would land in Nairobi at 4:00 pm.
“Finally we have our passports back. Up to this point, no reasons have been given for the denial of entry. We’ve been handed over to @KenyaAirways officials for immediate deportation. Scheduled to be on the 1450 hrs flight which will land in Nairobi around 1600 hrs,” Khalid stated.
Entry denied
Hanifa had earlier on revealed that they had been held and left stranded at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
“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 is President Samia so afraid of? This situation is utterly absurd,” she lamented.
Khalid also stated that they didn’t have their passports and were being held in an interrogation room.
“Following our detention, we’ve been brought to the interrogation room. They’ve told us to wait here for their senior officer – I guess the chief interrogator! We still don’t have our passports, nor do we know why we’re being detained,” he stated.
The three had travelled to Tanzania in solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and human rights defenders at the invitation of the East Africa Law Society to stand in support of the detained opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court on Monday, May 19.
Their detention came hours after People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua and human rights defenders and lawyers Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi were detained at the same airport and deported.
