Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has formally written to Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan seeking an explanation after being denied entry into Tanzania and briefly detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport in December 2024.
In a letter addressed through the Tanzanian High Commission in Kenya, Owino expressed his disappointment over the incident, stating that immigration officials rejected his passport and informed him that he had been listed as persona non grata in Tanzania.
The legislator, who serves on Kenya’s Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Public Investment Committee on Commercial Affairs & Energy, argued that his rights to free movement had been violated.
“As a citizen of the East African Community (EAC) and an elected Member of the Kenyan Parliament—whose representation extends to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) headquartered in Tanzania—I should be allowed free movement as per the EAC Treaty and Common Market Protocol,” Owino stated.
He further cited international agreements, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which uphold the right to free movement when due process is followed.
The MP has now requested a formal explanation from Tanzanian authorities regarding the decision to bar him from entry.
“I respectfully ask for a written clarification on why I am not permitted to enter Tanzania—whether for business, in my capacity as a representative of the Kenyan people, or simply as a friend of the Tanzanian people,” read MP Babu’s letter to Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu.
The Tanzanian government has yet to publicly respond to the legislator’s request.
