Kenyan Member of Parliament Babu Owino has written a demand letter to the United Republic of Tanzanian President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan.

 

In the letter dated February 3, the youthful legislator recalled how he was denied entry to Tanzania a month ago. The Embakassi East now demands a response from the Tanzania administration through President Samia Suluhu on why he was briefly detained.

 

“I am placing this special request to your office to appraise me in writing on the reasons why I am not allowed to enter into Tanzania for business, or as a representative of the people of Kenya, or as a friend of the people of Tanzania and for any other legitimate reasons,” part of the statement read.

 

According to the MP, the Tanzania government detained him for about 3 hours on December 2024 at the Julius Nyerere International Airport upon arrival in Tanzania and denied entry.

At the airport, staff informed him that his name was on the list of persona non grata in Tanzania.

 

“I write to bring to your attention that when I recently visited Tanzania in December 2024 upon arrival at the airport in Dar es Salaam, your immigration officers rejected my passport and casually informed me that I am on the list of persona non grata in Tanzania,” Owino wrote.

“In total violation of my rights to freedom of movement, they detained me for some time at Julius Nyerere International Airport.”

 

This unforeseen outcome led the Kenyan MP to decry the violation of his right not just as an East African Citizen but also as a representative of the Kenyan Parliament which grants him the right of entry to Tanzania.

 

“I am a citizen of the East African Community, specifically Kenya, for that matter. I am an elected Member of the Kenyan Parliament, which is duly represented in EALA, whose seat is in Tanzania,” his letter continued.

 

“Both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantee persons rights of movement into and out of nations upon following due process, which I did.”

 

 

He further stated that the East African Treaty and the East African Community Common Market (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations provide for the free movement of citizens of partner states.

 

“Lastly, Kenya, as a sovereign state, issues travelling passports to her citizens, which are recognized by other states under international law. All those rights and fundamental freedoms apply to me as a citizen of this planet,” he concluded.