Kenya has called on Tanzania to immediately release former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and two human rights activists who were detained overnight at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
The former top judge was stopped at the airport late Sunday night, alongside activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid. All three were reportedly denied entry without explanation as they attempted to attend a court session involving Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing’Oei, described the detention as troubling and in breach of regional agreements.
“We strongly urge the authorities in Tanzania to release the former Chief Justice of Kenya and his delegation, consistent with the norms of the East African Community,” Sing’Oei said in a statement Monday.
Hanifa Adan shared the ordeal in a series of tweets posted around 3am. “This is utterly ridiculous and petty,” she wrote. “We’re cold, we’re hungry, and no one is telling us why we’re being held.”
“The terminals are deserted, the floors are cold, and we’re stranded,” she added. “What is President Samia so afraid of?”
Hussein Khalid, also a lawyer and human rights defender, echoed the concern. “They have not given reasons for the detention,” he tweeted. “Our trip was in solidarity with Tanzanian lawyers and human rights defenders observing Tundu Lissu’s case.”
The incident comes just a day after former Kenyan justice minister and opposition leader Martha Karua was held at the same airport under similar circumstances. Karua had flown to Tanzania with lawyers Lynn Ngugi and Gloria Kimani — all guests of the East Africa Law Society (EALS) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
Karua was held for six hours and then deported back to Nairobi. She expressed concern over what she sees as a growing pattern of regional hostility.
“As a citizen of Jumuiya, my access within the East African Community appears inexplicably restricted,” Karua said in a statement following her return.
She suggested that all guests planning to attend Tundu Lissu’s court session were being targeted.
“I suspect visitors who may be interested in the politically motivated case against Tundu Lissu are being denied entry,” she said.
Lissu, a fierce critic of the Tanzanian government, is facing treason charges widely condemned by international observers and rights groups as politically motivated.
The East African Community treaty guarantees the free movement of citizens across member states. Recent events, however, have cast doubt on the strength of those commitments.
The Tanzanian government has yet to respond publicly to the detentions.
As tensions rise, Kenyan officials and civil society groups are demanding clarity. Human rights organisations across the region have begun issuing statements of concern, urging Tanzanian authorities to respect regional treaties and legal norms.
The standoff highlights growing friction within the EAC bloc, especially where politics and judicial oversight intersect.
Whether this signals a wider crackdown or a temporary misstep remains to be seen. But for those still sleeping on cold airport floors, answers cannot come soon enough.