‘There is some truth,’ Mudavadi defends President Suluhu’s remarks after deportation of Kenyan activists

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has come to the defence of the now controversial remarks made by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu following the arrest and deportation of Kenyan activists.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s The Explainer Show on Tuesday night, Mudavadi appeared to side with Suluhu’s utterances regarding what she termed as the activists’ “interference” in Tanzania’s affairs, taking issue with Kenyans recent “lack of integrity” in their conduct.

According to Mudavadi, President Suluhu might have been speaking from her observation of the conduct of Kenyans in recent times.

“I will not protest that (Suluhu’s remarks) because I think there is some truth. Let us face a few facts. The level of etiquette, insults, that we see in Kenya, even though we have the freedom of speech, is sometimes going overboard to some extent. She is saying people have sometimes gone to extremes in their utterances in Kenya, which is a fact,” he said.

“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 in integrity.”

Tasked on why he was taking Suluhu’s side despite the Tanzanian President not highlighting the crimes allegedly committed by the activists, Mudavadi was at pains to explain why his ministry was did not reach out to the deported Kenyans.

“She (Suluhu) has said that she is unhappy, because they observe what we do here, but I will need a little time to get more evidence into the detail of the operation, to the point of saying whether we have displayed decency. I am not talking about the individuals in question, but she is talking from a general viewpoint, and if it is a general viewpoint, then I think she has a point,” he said.

Mudavadi said he does not agree with curtailing freedom of speech, but noted that President Suluhu's actions superseded and warranted her to prioritise the defence of her nation’s sovereignty as the head of state, even though the East African Community (EAC) allows freedom of movement within the region.

“The Jumuiya has not taken away the sovereignty of the states; the countries have not ceded their sovereignty to the EAC, so it still remains. If there is sovereignty, then a country will make certain decisions. They have taken the decision, so it is the duty through the diplomatic channels to find out what the circumstances were in detail,” he noted.

This comes after People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua, alongside Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Council member Gloria Kimani and member of the Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network Lynn Ngugi, were detained at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on Sunday and deported to Kenya. 

The three were headed to Tanzania at the invitation of the East Africa Law Society. Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga was also deported, while activist Boniface Mwangi is still being detained in the country awaiting deportation.

President Suluhu addressed the issue on Monday, saying foreign activists would not be allowed to “interfere” in the country's affairs after several tried to attend the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is facing treason charges.

"We have started to observe a trend in which activists from within our region are attempting to intrude and interfere in our affairs," Hassan said in a televised speech during the launch of the country’s new foreign policy.

“If they have been controlled in their country, let them not come to disrupt us. Let us not give them the chance; they have already destabilised their countries and the only remaining peaceful nation is Tanzania.”