Kenyan President William Ruto extended a public apology to Tanzania and Uganda on Wednesday during the country’s annual national prayer breakfast in an effort to ease mounting diplomatic tensions among the East African neighbors.

Speaking at the event held in Nairobi, Ruto addressed the growing discord sparked by the deportation of Kenyan and Ugandan activists from Tanzania, as well as heated exchanges between lawmakers from both countries during parliamentary sessions.

“Our neighbors from Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, forgive us. Our friends from Uganda, if there’s anything that Kenyans have done that’s not right, we want to apologise,” Ruto said. “To our children, if there’s any misstep, we apologize.”

“We want to build a relationship that will make our countries great,” he added.

Escalating tensions

The president’s remarks followed a week of escalating diplomatic tensions.

On May 18, former Kenyan Minister of Justice and 2022 presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s running mate Martha Karua was detained and deported from Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.

She had traveled to Tanzania alongside lawyers Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi to support opposition leader Tundu Lissu during his treason trial.

The following day, former Kenyan Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid were similarly detained and deported upon arrival.

Tanzanian authorities also detained and deported Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire, who had come to witness the Tanzanian opposition leader's trial.

Meddling in Tanzania

The incident drew sharp criticism from Kenyan civil society and lawmakers.

In response, Tanzanian parliamentary members accused the Kenyan activists of interfering in their internal affairs. During a parliamentary session on May 26, legislators urged President Ruto to take action against Kenyans who they claimed were disrespecting Tanzania’s leadership.

Some members of parliament suggested that the deported activists should have faced harsher penalties.

The situation escalated online, with Tanzanian Parliamentary Member Jesca Msambatavangu reporting that her phone was flooded with messages from Kenyan youths after she criticised the activists.

Kenyan and Tanzanian lawmakers came together in a symbolic show of unity on Wednesday, singing side by side during the national prayer breakfast in Nairobi, despite recent diplomatic tensions between the two countries.