People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has raised alarm over what she describes as a growing pattern of repression and democratic backsliding across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Speaking on Spice FM on Monday, December 8, Karua said recent events in the region point to a coordinated trend of state-sanctioned brutality, cross-border abductions, shrinking civil liberties and increasing disregard for constitutional norms.
“These three countries were joined at the hip, and therefore, if you see your neighbour’s house on fire, know that it could spread to yours,” she said, urging East Africans to unite in defence of democracy.
“The only guarantee we have is ourselves, standing in solidarity. Sovereignty lies with the people.”
Karua cited alleged mass murder during Tanzania’s October 29 elections, claiming there were disappearances, bodies removed from hospitals and victims shot inside their homes.
She said she had received reports of people with gunshot wounds being taken away, never to be seen again.
Turning to Kenya, Karua said police violence witnessed during the 2023 and 2024 protests, including deaths in Kisumu, Mathare, Kibera, and Githurai pointed at democracy in decline.
She referenced incidents in Nyalenda where police allegedly broke into homes at night, leaving two brothers dead.
“In low-income areas in Nairobi, people were hunted and shot in their residential areas, not outside demonstrating,” she said.
Karua added that a lack of accurate reporting made it impossible to know the true death toll.
“The moment we start counting towards a hundred, with falsification of reports, you cannot know how many even to this day.”
She accused Ugandan authorities of maintaining a similar pattern of violence “at every general election,” referencing attacks and shootings during opposition leader Bobi Wine’s rallies.
She also took issue with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu’s recent remarks urging countries to “mind their own business,” calling the position ignorant and contrary to the spirit of regional cooperation.
"We have come together so that we can leverage on good practices across the region. The Jumuiah was not made for leaders to maintain themselves in power,” she said.
