Senior Counsel and former Justice Minister Martha Karua has launched new criticism at Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu over visa restrictions.
Karua's comments came after the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, called for the removal of visa requirements between African and Caribbean nations.
Karua supported Mottley's statement, which highlighted the need for African countries to facilitate easier travel for their citizens. She pointed out that strict visa policies hinder regional integration and cooperation.
“All visa requirements should be abolished. Africans and Caribbean people should be able to move freely,” Mottley stated.
Karua supported Mottley's comment on her social media on Saturday, June 7, 2025, tagging Suluhu and urging her to pay attention to Mottley's remarks.
Karua's sentiments on visa restrictions came after she was denied entry into Tanzania on May 18, 2025, alongside fellow human rights defenders and lawyers Lynn Ngugi and Gloria Kimani, despite being a prominent Kenyan and a member of the East African Community (EAC).
She claimed that her passport had been taken and referred to a supervisor at the Julius Nyerere International Airport, and she had been held for over an hour.
"I arrived at Dar es Salaam Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International airport at nine am, and immigration referred my passport to the supervisor, who kept me waiting for an hour as she consulted her superiors. I am concerned that as a citizen of Jumuiya, my access within the East African Community (EAC) country appears inexplicably restricted," she stated.
Her comment also came hours after Tanzanian politician Godbless Lema was reportedly barred from entering Kenya on Friday, June 6, 2025.
Lema, through his socials, said he was held at the Kenya-Tanzania border for over 4 hours before he was told he could not enter Kenya.
"I have been instructed to go back to Arusha and to visit the immigration offices in Dodoma for more information.
"I am in a lot of pain and I had a hospital appointment in Nairobi, but now I can't go since they have barred me from travelling," he said.
