People’s Liberation Party leader, Martha Karua, has launched a stinging attack on East African leaders, slamming them for presiding over a culture of abductions, torture, and enforced disappearances targeting political dissenters.

In a strongly worded post on her official X account on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, Karua directly called out President William Ruto of Kenya, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. She called them out for weaponising state power against critics instead of addressing governance challenges.

“William Ruto, Suluhu Samia. KagutaMuseveni is your best political strategy to have your critics/dissenters abducted, tortured, disappeared or even murdered?” Karua asked, framing the said abuses as deliberate silencing tactics.

The veteran politician further likened the current political environment in the region to the colonial era, questioning why citizens continue to face such suffering in modern times.

“Why must citizens go through hardships that are similar or worse than those endured during the colonial era?” she wrote.

Karua’s post carried hashtags amplifying her message of resistance and solidarity with those she described as victims of state oppression.

“#FreeAllPoliticalPrisonersinJumuiya #FreeMdudeNyagali #FreeSamMugumya,” she added, signalling that the cases of specific detained or disappeared individuals remain a point of concern across the East African Community.

The remarks come against a backdrop of growing unease over human rights in the region, where opposition figures and activists have repeatedly raised alarm about intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and shrinking civic space. By naming the three heads of state directly, Karua has reignited debate on whether East African integration under the “Jumuiya” banner is undermined by what she views as authoritarian practices.

Karua’s message has resonated widely online, drawing both support and criticism. Supporters praised her for being bold enough to confront sitting presidents, while critics argued that her words were overly harsh and risked inflaming regional tensions.

Still, her statement underscores a deeper frustration: that even 15 years after Kenya adopted one of Africa’s most progressive constitutions and decades after independence across East Africa, fundamental freedoms remain under threat.

By tying today’s struggles to colonial-era oppression, Karua has sharpened the moral question facing the region’s leaders: whether they will embrace democratic accountability or continue ruling through fear.