Mudavadi reassured that the matter had been resolved amicably through diplomatic channels and cautioned against inflaming tensions through public outrage.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called for calm and diplomatic maturity amid escalating tensions between Kenya and Tanzania.

This comes in the wake of the detention of activist Boniface Mwangi in Arusha and the deportation of prominent Kenyan figures Martha Karua and former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga from Tanzania.

In a statement, Mudavadi reassured the public that the matter had been resolved amicably through diplomatic channels and cautioned against inflaming tensions through public outrage.

“Let me begin by reassuring you that the Government upholds and defends the rights of all Kenyans, wherever they are in this world.We use our diplomatic channels, often behind the scenes, to engage with our friendly countries to resolve difficult issues,” he said.

The incident, which has sparked online uproar, added fuel to growing concerns over what many civil society groups describe as Tanzania’s democratic backsliding under President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Despite initial praise following her 2021 ascension to power for softening the authoritarian legacy of her predecessor John Magufuli, Suluhu’s administration is increasingly facing criticism for silencing dissent.

Human rights watchdogs, including Amnesty International and the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, have voiced alarm at Tanzania’s renewed clampdown on opposition voices and perceived interference with regional civic space.

“The decision to deport these high-profile Kenyan figures while detaining a vocal activist sends a chilling message not just to Tanzanians, but to East Africans committed to free expression and cross-border solidarity,”the human rights activist said.

Online, the hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi trended for hours, with users accusing President Suluhu’s government of stifling dialogue and overreacting to criticism.

Several Tanzanian opposition leaders also condemned the detentions, calling them an affront to East African unity and the right to peaceful assembly.

Mudavadi urged Kenyans to remain composed and consider the larger diplomatic stakes.

“While online activism can raise awareness on issues, it cannot replace the structured dialogue that preserves our bilateral ties and respect for each other’s sovereignty,” he cautioned. The path to resolution lay not in confrontation, but in cooperation,”he noted.

He underscored the deep economic interdependence between the two nations, citing data from the 2025 Economic Survey that shows Tanzania as Kenya’s sixth largest export destination and ninth largest import source. He also noted that around 250,000 Kenyans live, work, or do business in Tanzania, relying on stable cross-border ties.

“No nation prospers in isolation. Kenya’s development is anchored in strong economic ties and strategic partnerships with our neighbours,”Mudavadi stated.

“I urge all Kenyans to see the bigger picture, to embrace the quiet power of diplomacy, to uphold the dignity of our flag, and to remember that we are part of a region, not apart from it,”he added. By Irene Mwangi, Capital News.

More than 32,000 asylum seekers were being housed temporarily in UK hotels at the end of March, as one expert predicted the Government meeting its pledge to end the use of such accommodation “still seems a fair way off”.

The figure of 32,345 is down 15% from the end of December, when the total was 38,079, and 6% lower than the 34,530 at the same point a year earlier.

London was the area of the UK with the highest number of asylum seekers in hotels while overall Afghan and Iranian were the most common nationalities to be housed in this kind of accommodation.

Asylum seekers and their families are housed in temporary accommodation if they are waiting for the outcome of a claim or an appeal and have been assessed as not being able to support themselves independently.

They are housed in hotels if there is not enough space in accommodation provided by local authorities or other organisations.

Millions spent

Figures for hotels published by the Home Office on Thursday begin in December 2022.

They show that hotel use peaked at the end of June 2023, when 50,546 asylum seekers were being housed in this way, and was at its lowest level a year later when the figure dropped to 29,585.

Labour has previously said it is “committed to end the use of asylum hotels over time” adding that under the previous Conservative government at one stage “more than 400 hotels were in use and almost £9 million per day was being spent”.

The Government does not release regular data on the number of UK hotels used to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, although in March the Home Office confirmed 216 hotels were “currently” in use, with seven due to close by the end of April.

There were 213 hotels in use in July 2024 at the time of the general election.

A report from public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) earlier this month detailed that those temporarily living in hotels accounted for 35% of all people in asylum accommodation, and for about 76% of the annual cost of contracts – £1.3 billion of an estimated £1.7 billion in 2024-25.

That report said data from suppliers “suggests that hotels may be more profitable than other forms of accommodation”, while profit margins for contractors average 7% – which is within the Home Office’s original estimate of between 5-13%.

The Home Office announced in March it had ended the use of supplier Stay Belvedere Hotels (SBHL), subcontracted by Clearsprings, after its performance and behaviour “fell short” of expectations.

On the latest Government data, the Refugee Council said while it felt “encouraged fewer people are being accommodated there, currently there are still over 30,000 people stuck in limbo in hotels”.

Mihnea Cuibus, researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, speculated that a “stubbornly high” backlog of asylum appeals is a challenge for Labour as it works to end the use of hotels.

He said: “Labour’s pledge to end hotel accommodation for asylum seekers has been a tough nut for them to crack.

“The government is now making more asylum decisions, but the backlog of asylum appeals remains stubbornly high. This means that many asylum seekers are still in government accommodation, so ending the use of asylum hotels still seems a fair way off.”

Data

London accounted for more than a third (37%) of the total number of asylum seekers in hotels.

The most recent data showed that of the 32,345 asylum seekers in hotels across the UK at the end of March, 12,024 were in the English capital.

Some 3,738 (12%) were in south-east England, 3,306 (10%) in the West Midlands and 3,167 (10%) in north-west England.

These four regions together account for more than two-thirds (69%) of the total.

Of the remaining 31%, 2,609 (8%) were in eastern England, 2,141 (7%) were in Yorkshire and the Humber, 1,999 (6%) in south-west England, 1,352 (4%) in Scotland, 1,285 (4%) in the East Midlands, 345 (1%) in north-east England, 288 (1%) in Northern Ireland and 91 (0.3%) in Wales.

Afghan and Iranian were the most common nationalities, accounting for 3,822 (12%) and 3,637 (11%) of the total respectively.

The next most common were Syrian (2,130, 7%); Eritrean (2,045, 6%); Iraqi (2,001, 6%); and Pakistani (1,426, 4%).

These six nationalities together accounted for nearly half (47%) of the total. Birdland

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has called on President William Ruto to make public the details of their discussions on building a unified political alliance.

His remarks come after President Ruto claimed that he made advances to close ranks with Kalonzo only to face a rebuff that prompted him to consider his erstwhile political nemesis, Raila Odinga, instead. 

Ruto made the remarks on Thursday, May 22, 2025, while hosting a delegation of broader leadership from Ukambani leaders in the state house, a meeting that Kalonzo’s Wiper Party leadership gave a wide berth.

The delegation was led by Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua, among other leaders.

However, Kalonzo, a key member of the Loyal People Opposition coalition that seeks to oust President Ruto, has come out to refute any meeting with the head of state.

“I don’t remember meeting with Ruto. He should reveal where he met me. State House has these bloggers who have been blogging that I am in a meeting with Ruto. Maybe they were blogging, thinking they were helping the president’s cause, but they are not. It is why I’m asking, where did he say I met with him?” he quizzed.

Kalonzo has further affirmed his firm stance that he has no intention of teaming up with the ruling Kenya Kwanza government.

He holds that Kenyans have made up their minds over an administration that cannot escape being a one-term regime.

“This government, we must take it home at the earliest. The commitment from Kenyan people is amazing. Kenyans of goodwill are determined to take it home. So, how can I join the people who are going home?” he added.

The Wiper boss has implored Kenyans to wait for the opposition’s signal on the path the country will take as part of the strategy to dethrone the current administration.

“Let us wait for the new formation from the opposition and the call we will make. Their one term is inevitable. It has happened in Botswana and other countries,” he implored.

This is the second time the Wiper Leader has come out to deny claims of meeting with President Ruto.

On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Kalonzo dismissed a past viral video that had been circulating on social media, which showed an interaction between him and Ruto.

Kalonzo then reaffirmed his loyalty to the opposition, stating that he remains steadfast in its commitment to the people, asserting that no amount of manipulation or false narratives could alter their resolve to stand by Kenyans.

“Why are they so panicky? The People’s Loyal Coalition will never be a party to the biggest betrayal of Kenyans for political expediency and temporary comfort,” he stated.

The video had sparked reports that Musyoka was walking into Raila’s steps by also joining Ruto, five days after the Ruto-Raila pact signed on Friday, March 7, 2025. By Luke Oluoch, People Daily

He is in high spirits. The Commission and other partners are making arrangements to transfer him to Nairobi for medical attention – KNCHR

Activist Boniface Mwangi has been released in Ukunda, Kwale after being deported from Tanzania where he had been detained.

According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) Mwangi is to be transferred to Nairobi for treatment.

“He is in high spirits. The Commission and other partners are making arrangements to transfer him to Nairobi for medical attention,” KNCHR stated.

The release comes after the Kenyan government wrote a protest letter to the Tanzanian government over the lack of access to activist Boniface Mwangi following his arrest in the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that since Mwangi’s arrest, consular officials were able to access him despite several requests.

It added that it was concerned about his health and well-being, as information about his whereabouts remained unknown.

“The Ministry notes that, despite several requests, officials of the Government of Kenya have been denied consular access and information to Mr. Mwangi. The Ministry is also concerned about his health, overall wellbeing and the absence of information regarding his detention,” the letter by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read in part.

The ministry noted that his detention was against the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), to which both the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania are State Parties, which allows consular officers to visit any national of the sending State who is in prison, custody or detention.

Kenya further demanded that Tanzanian authorities give expedited access to the activist by Consular officials or release him as international law dictates.

“The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs respectfully urges the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to expeditiously and without delay facilitate consular access to or release of Mr. Mwangi, in accordance with international legal obligations and diplomatic norms,” the letter read. Capital News