Wetang'ula scolds lawyers for 'formenting trouble' with EAC neighbours

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula speaks at at Cardinal Otunga Girls’ High School, May 30, 2025. /MOSES WETANGÚLA/X

Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula has lashed out at Kenyan lawyers and activists who've taken to involving themselves in the internal affairs of neighbouring countries.

The speaker said Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have maintained healthy relations since the times of founding fathers Jomo Kenyatta, Milton Obote and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and the new generation of citizens should not spoil the broth just to prove that they know something.

"I want to urge my fellow Kenyans who have started a bad habit of roaming all over East Africa to go and forment trouble, to go and forment disaffection and appear to know what they think others don't know...please, don't be the ones to forment frosty relations between Kenya and its neighbours," he said.

A number of top Kenyan lawyers and activists recently flew to Tanzania to follow proceedings in the high-profile case of main opposition leader Tundu Lissu of the Chadema party, sparking outrage from Tanzania.

Lissu has been charged with treason and incitement and could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted.

The Kenyan lawyers, led by Martha Karua, Willy Mutunga (Former Chief Justice) and activist Boniface Mwangi, travelled to Tanzania on May 18 to observe the hearing but were denied entry into Tanzania and sent back home.

Karua was accompanied by Law Society of Kenya (LSK) member Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi, a member of the Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network.

Mutunga was equally detained at the Julius Nyerere Airport alongside activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid, barely hours after Karua's deportation, and also sent back to Nairobi.

Mwangi who was released days later, alleged that he was tortured while in custody before being deported by road and dumped in Ukwala, Kwale county.

Only former Chief Justice David Maraga was allowed entry into Tanzania and was in court on May 19 when Lissu made his first physical appearance before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court.

The episode almost ignited a diplomatic tiff between Kenya and Tanzania especially after Kenyans took to social media and trolled President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Suluhu on May 19 said that wherreas Tanzania respect the freedom of expression, the Kenyan activists were not welcome to interfere with the internal affairs of her country.

"Kama kwao wameshathibitiwa, wasikuje kwetu kutuharibia (If they (activists) have been contained in their homeland, let them not come and spoil our country)," Suluhu said.

Speaking on Friday during the official handover of a dormitory unit at Cardinal Otunga Girls’ High School in Bungoma county,  Wetang'ula was unforgiving in his appraisal of the credentials of some of the lawyers, emphasising the need for Kenyans to respect the sovreignty of neighbouring states.

"You are a lawyer in Kenya, we look at your records, you have never had any distinction as a lawyer in this country and then you run to Tanzania, you want to show them that you are a lawyer. And here in Kenya, nobody even appreciates what you do as a lawyer," he said.

Wetang'ula, who once served as Foreign Affairs Minister, said Kenya is keen on sustaining cordial relations with her neighbours, good neighbourliness he has has been built over the years.

He said Kenya has never had trouble with any of her three EAC neighbours, save for when dictator Idd Amin Dada once claimed that Uganda's territory stretched all the way to Naivasha.

"We don't want to argue with our neighbours and I want to ask my friends - our retired chief justices and other distinguished Kenyans - please, don't be the ones to forment frosty relations between Kenya and its neighbours. We co-exist, we trade and we have more Kenyans living in those countries than their people living in Kenya."

Kenya has since mended relations with Tanzania after President William Ruto on Wednesday apologised over the incident during the National Prayer Service at Safari Park hotel.

Tanzanian MPs, who for days aired their anger on the floor of the House over the trolling of their President by Kenyans over her tough stance on the activists and lawyers, acknowledged the apology.