PS Slams The East African Headline as “Desperate Journalism” Amid Deportation Row

NAIROBI, May 25, 2025 – Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Dr. Korir Sing’Oei, has sharply criticized a headline by The East African—a publication under the Nation Media Group (NMG)—labeling it as “desperate journalism.”

The headline, published in the May 24-30 edition, read: “How Kenya aided arrest of activists in Dar“, alleging that Kenya’s cooperation policy with regional regimes facilitated the arrest and deportation of activists in Tanzania, actions that lawyers argue breached the East African Community (EAC) Treaty.

The article detailed the arrest, torture, and deportation of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire from Dar es Salaam, where they had traveled to support Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, facing politically motivated treason charges.

Renowned Kenyan jurists Martha Karua and former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga were also deported, with Tanzanian authorities citing a lack of legal practice licenses.

The report criticized Kenya’s “cooperation, not confrontation” policy under President William Ruto, pointing to similar incidents, such as the abduction of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye in Nairobi in November 2024, and accused Kenya of complicity with oppressive regimes.

In a post on X on May 24, 2025, Sing’Oei rejected the claims, stating, “this headline by NMG’s *The East African* is a classic example of desperate journalism. Kenya remains committed to the principles of the EAC Treaty and the protection of its citizens’ rights.”

He denied any direct involvement in the activists’ arrests, echoing sentiments from Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who had earlier admitted to “cooperation” with Ugandan authorities in the Besigye case but denied involvement in the Tanzanian incident.

The activists’ ordeal has sparked outrage among Kenyans, who accuse the Ruto administration of failing to protect its citizens abroad.

Mwangi, tortured for four days, was abandoned at the border after Kenya’s belated diplomatic intervention. Critics, including the International Commission of Jurists’ Demas Kiprono, argue that Tanzania’s actions violate the EAC Common Market Protocol, which guarantees free movement. Kiprono noted that while Kenya amended its Advocates Act in 2002 to allow Tanzanian and Ugandan lawyers to practice locally, reciprocity remains unfulfilled, with Kenyan professionals facing significant hurdles in the region.

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu defended the deportations, accusing the activists of “meddling” in her country’s affairs.

“They have destroyed their countries, now they want to do the same with ours,” she said in a national address.

Meanwhile, Mudavadi’s refusal to send a protest note to Tanzania stating he agreed with Samia’s view that the activists were exporting “bad manners” drew further criticism for Kenya’s perceived inaction.

The incident underscores Kenya’s shifting foreign policy, once seen as a safe haven for regional dissidents but now criticized for enabling renditions, such as those of South Sudanese opposition members and Turkish asylum seekers in recent years.

Despite strong economic ties—Tanzania is Kenya’s second-largest export market in the EAC, with a 3.4% rise in exports by late 2024—the diplomatic flip-flop has strained relations, exposing tensions within the EAC over democratic freedoms and regional integration.

As Kenya navigates its role in the bloc, the fallout from this incident highlights the delicate balance between cooperation and the protection of citizens’ rights, with activists and lawyers calling for stronger adherence to EAC principles.