Opposition leader of Tanzania's Chadema party facing a treason trial for allegedly inciting election boycotts.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… In 2024, she was detained and deported from Tanzania where she had planned to attend the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. …
Karua's woes in Uganda make a mockery of EACCitizen Digital
… Karua had traveled to Tanzania to observe the treason trial of detained opposition leader Tundu Lissu. …
KAIKAI’S KICKER: Martha Karua ban - Why Kenya needs a spineCitizen Digital
… I was barred entry into Tanzania for daring to go and witness the trial of Tundu Lissu, yet their constitution says criminal trial is a public thing which anybody can go to,” Karua noted. …
I deported Martha Karua, she's no longer welcome in Uganda - CDF Muhoozi saysCitizen Digital
… I was barred entry into Tanzania for daring to go and witness the trial of Tundu Lissu, yet their constitution says criminal trial is a public thing which anybody can go to,” Karua noted. …
I deported Martha Karua, she's no longer welcome in Uganda - CDF Muhoozi saysThe Standard
… She condemned the incident, calling for an overhaul of East African democracy, as it was not the first time the leader had been denied entry into an East African country.Last year during her visit to Tanzania, where she was supposed to represent opposition leader Tundu Lissu who …
'I deported her myself': Muhoozi claims role in Karua's detentionThe Standard
… Tanzania barred and deported her in May last year after she travelled to Dar es Salaam as a legal observer in a treason case involving Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. …
'They snatched my phones': Karua recounts Uganda deportation ordealThe Standard
… The two had travelled to Dar es Salaam in 2025 to observe the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. …
It's shameful for the government to ignore the cries of Kenyans abused abroadCitizen Digital
… fwele to gross violations of human rights. “One year ago, members of the Tanzanian Police Force detained, tortured, and sexually assaulted Ugandan Agather Atuhaire and Kenyan Boniface Mwangi, who were in Dar es Salaam to observe the judicial trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu …
US sanctions senior Tanzanian police officer over torture of activists Boniface Mwangi, Agather AtuhaireThe Standard
… the statement said.The alleged abuses stem from events last year when Mwangi, Atuhaire and other activists, including People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, were detained and denied entry into Tanzania while attempting to observe the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu …
US sanctions Tanzania police official, bars him over rights violationsCitizen Digital
… Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has remained in prolonged detention for more than one year later, deepening concerns about political repression. …
Activists condemn Suluhu over ‘crack the whip’ remarks on Gen Z protestsTundu Lissu, head of Tanzania's opposition Chadema party, opened his defence on Friday in a treason trial he calls "political," after being charged in April 2025 with inciting public boycotts of last year's elections—a charge carrying potential death penalty.
21 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tundu Lissu, head of Tanzania's opposition Chadema party, opened his defence on Friday in a treason trial he calls "political," after being charged in April 2025 with inciting public boycotts of last year's elections—a charge carrying potential death penalty.
21 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A Tanzanian court ruled on Friday that the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu will proceed after finding he has a case to answer. Lissu, head of the opposition Chadema party, was detained in April 2025 and charged with treason for allegedly inciting the public to boycott last year's elections.
21 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A Tanzanian court ruled Friday that opposition Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu has a case to answer in his treason trial after prosecutors presented evidence and 17 witnesses testified against him. Lissu, detained in April 2025 and charged with treason for allegedly inciting public boycotts of last year's elections, is representing himself and has asked the court to summon high-ranking government officials including President Samia Suluhu Hassan as defence witnesses.
21 August 2026 · The Standard →
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu's treason trial resumed Monday after a five-month pause over procedural matters. The trial follows international criticism of Tanzania's handling of protests around last year's national elections, in which the opposition and rights activists say thousands were killed.
10 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu's treason trial resumed Monday after a five-month pause over procedural matters; Lissu was detained in April 2025 and charged with treason, which carries a potential death penalty, while his party Chadema claims the case is being used to suppress legitimate political opposition.
10 August 2026 · The Standard →
An opinion piece warns that Kenya's Ol Kalou by-election—marked by distribution of gas cylinders, mattresses, and other goods timed suspiciously before voting—follows a pattern of electoral misconduct seen across East and Southern Africa. The piece argues that such practices represent slow-motion failures in election conduct that have become recognizable across the region.
29 July 2026 · The Standard →
An opinion piece compares the Ol Kalou by-election (called after MP David Njuguna Kiaraho's death in March 2026) to election irregularities across East Africa—gas cylinders, mattresses, and other incentives distributed to voters in the run-up to polling day—arguing that such misconduct follows a predictable regional pattern.
21 July 2026 · The Standard →
Dozens of Ugandans and Tanzanians are hiding in neighbouring Kenya after recent elections triggered mass arrests, kidnappings, and murders in their countries. Refugees report knowing between 20 and 40 others who have fled to Kenya in recent months, though many live in fear of cross-border abduction.
20 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tanzania has reinstated a ban on political rallies "until further notice," citing fears that mass gatherings could trigger uncontrollable protests. The move follows violent post-election clashes in 2025 and comes after President Samia Hassan had lifted the previous rally ban in 2023, which had been imposed in 2016 under her predecessor John Magufuli.
5 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tanzania has reimposed a ban on political rallies "until further notice," citing concerns that mass gatherings could trigger uncontrollable protests. The government action follows violent post-election unrest in 2025, and activists had scheduled nationwide protests against political repression for 7 July 2026.
5 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Senior Counsel Martha Karua was detained at Entebbe International Airport while travelling to defend opposition figures in Uganda's courts. The Standard editorial argues the incident and similar treatment of Kenyan lawyers in neighbouring EAC states undermine the bloc's stated principles, noting Kenya opens its courts to lawyers from other EAC members while its own advocates face restrictions.
26 June 2026 · The Standard →
Kenyan lawyer and political leader Martha Karua was denied entry to Uganda and forced to return to Nairobi after interrogation and phone confiscation, marking her second deportation in a year—she was similarly expelled from Tanzania in May 2025 while attempting to observe an opposition trial. Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces claimed responsibility for declaring her persona non grata as she travelled to support a case involving a Ugandan opposition figure.
25 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba said he personally ordered the deportation of Kenya's Senior Counsel and Peoples Liberation Party leader Martha Karua from Uganda on Monday, and that she would no longer be allowed entry into the country. Karua had travelled to Uganda as part of a delegation attending a bail hearing for advocate Erias Lukwago.
23 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba says he personally decided to deport Kenya's Senior Counsel and Peoples Liberation Party leader Martha Karua from the country, and that she will no longer be allowed entry into Uganda.
23 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Uganda's Chief of Defence Force Muhoozi Kainerugaba posted on X that he ordered the deportation of Kenyan Senior Counsel Martha Karua from Uganda on Monday, saying she will no longer be allowed entry. Karua had travelled to Uganda to help defend detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye but was stopped by immigration officials citing security reasons.
23 June 2026 · The Standard →
People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua was deported from Uganda after immigration officials cited "security reasons," despite initial clearance at Entebbe International Airport. Karua, who had travelled to attend bail proceedings for jailed Ugandan lawyer Erias Lukwago and serves as lead counsel in a treason case against opposition leader Kizza Besigye, said she was declared persona non grata and placed on a return flight to Nairobi.
22 June 2026 · The Standard →
An opinion piece argues that Kenya should have been the first to respond when activist Boniface Mwangi alleged detention, torture, and sexual assault in Tanzania in 2025, rather than waiting for the US State Department to act. The author contends that a government valuing its citizens must protect their safety and dignity regardless of where they are.
5 June 2026 · The Standard →
The United States has imposed sanctions on Tanzanian Police Force Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele over alleged human rights violations involving the detention and torture of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire.
22 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The United States has sanctioned Tanzanian Police Force Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele under Section 7031(c) for involvement in the detention, torture and sexual assault of Uganda's Agather Atuhaire and Kenya's Boniface Mwangi in May 2025, barring him from entering the United States.
22 May 2026 · The Standard →
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is facing criticism from human rights activists, including Kenya Human Rights Commission, over remarks regarding management of youth-led protests in the region. Rights defenders say her statements promote repression across East Africa and undermine democratic freedoms.
6 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
After the death of former president John Pombe Magufuli, deputy president Samia Suluhu Hassan ascended to Tanzania's presidency. Initially celebrated as a change from Magufuli's heavy-handed rule, Suluhu has since emerged as a hardline leader in her own right.
6 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has criticized President William Ruto and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu for discussing plans to jointly discipline Gen Z protesters, saying their "axis of tyranny" threatens to return East Africa to autocracy. Suluhu called for Ruto to work with her to address Gen Z unrest in both countries during Ruto's state visit to Tanzania.
5 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The Orange Democratic Movement's Linda Mwananchi movement has opposed President William Ruto's planned visit and address to Tanzania's Parliament, arguing it risks undermining democratic values and risks legitimizing actions perceived to violate democratic norms. The group criticized Tanzania's general elections, citing arrests and intimidation of opposition leaders, and referenced African Union Election Observer findings that the elections fell short of democratic standards.
4 May 2026 · Capital News →