Sifuna tells Ruto to ban CCM leaders from visiting Kenya, withdraw Stars from CHAN
Mwangi and Atuhaire have laid bare the brutality they allegedly went through at the hands of Tanzanian law enforcement officers during their short stay in the countr
The Orange Democratic Movement Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has called for a ban on Tanzania’s Chama Cha Mapinduzi Party’s leaders’ visits to Kenya following the assault of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and his Ugandan counterpart Agather Atuhaire.
Speaking on his social media, Sifuna also called for Kenya to withdraw from co-hosting the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) with Tanzania and Uganda, which was postponed to August this year.
“First, ban the entire CCM leadership from visiting our country. Second, withdraw from the joint hosting of CHAN with the dictatorships in Uganda and Tanzania,” Sifuna has advised President William Ruto.
The Nairobi Senator added that President William Ruto, who chairs the East Africa Community (EAC), should ensure the East Africa Law Society Annual Conference is not hosted in Zanzibar as scheduled.
According to Sifuna, Tanzania and Uganda are led by dictators, and Kenya should not be associating itself with them, as he urged President Ruto to retract his national prayer day apology to Tanzania, adding that they should be the ones apologising.
“Move the EALS annual conference from Zanzibar and withdraw that fake apology and demand that Tanzania apologise to us instead,” he added.
The remarks by Sifuna come as the acts done to Mwangi and Atuhaire when they were detained in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where they had shown up to support the Country’s opposition leader, who is facing treason charges, continue to irk many people.
On Monday, Mwangi and Atuhaire laid bare the brutality they allegedly went through at the hands of Tanzanian law enforcement officers during their short stay in the country.
The activists said they were forcefully removed from their hotel on the night of their arrival, moved between police stations, and questioned by immigration officers before being left at the mercy of their alleged oppressors, led by a guy called Mafwele. Mwangi said they were beaten in the presence of three lawyers.
“When the lawyers left us, they did not tell our families that we are being beaten, threatened, and harassed. Because Mafwele, in front of the lawyers, asked if I was circumcised. He said they would circumcise me again,” Mwangi said.
“At that station, Mafwele said he is going to rape Agather,” he added.
Amnesty International, Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the Kenyan chapter of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), and the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) yesterday said EALA should hold public hearings to investigate the alleged abuses.
In their joint statement, their respective heads Houghton Irungu, Faith Odhiambo, Erick Mukoya, and Grace Wangeci demanded that relevant EALA committees take up the cases, including summoning the Foreign Ministers from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to shed light on the incidents.
“Torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment are serious crimes under multiple treaties and international law,” they said. The lobbyists expressed concern over the inhumane conditions the two activists were held under for four long days, without medical attention or access to family or legal representation.
