Kenyan opposition leader Martha Karua has returned to Nairobi after being denied entry into Uganda, in a dramatic incident that has sparked condemnation from lawyers representing detained Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye.
Karua landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Monday, June 22 after Ugandan authorities blocked her from entering the country and handed her a letter declaring her persona non grata.
The former Justice Minister and current People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader revealed that she received the notice before being placed on a return flight to Kenya.
Karua claimed that authorities confiscated her phone while she was being held. Although the device was later handed back to her, she refused to accept it, citing concerns that it may have been interfered with. As a result, she opted to leave the phone behind in Uganda.
"I arrived at Entebbe Airport at 8:50 aboard KQ and I was with three others. I only had a hand luggage and while waiting for my colleagues, an immigration officer came and told me she had been told that she had made a mistake and there was a note on me," she said.
"I was taken to a man called the Principal Immigration Officer at the Airport and I told them there is no problem. By then, two of his juniors had already snatched my phones by force. They did not even ask me. They are very ill-behaved fellows."
Karua explained that authorities initially attempted to move her to a holding cell, but she requested to remain at the Kenya Airways lounge instead, noting that a flight she could take back to Kenya was available and that she was a frequent customer.
Following discussions with airport officials and the Kenya Airways manager, she was escorted to the passenger transfers section and later allowed to wait in the lounge under the watch of two immigration officers, who remained with her until boarding time.
She further disclosed that the letter officially declaring her persona non grata was handed to her while she was already on board the flight returning to Kenya.
The development triggered an immediate response from lawyers attached to Besigye's defence team, who accused Ugandan authorities of holding Karua incommunicado at Entebbe International Airport before her deportation. In a statement, the lawyers claimed the Kenyan Senior Counsel had been cut off from her family, legal colleagues and diplomatic representatives during the standoff.
According to the defence team, Karua had travelled to Uganda to attend a court mention and bail ruling involving Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago while continuing her role in supporting the defence of Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale.
The lawyers argued that Karua's treatment was not an isolated immigration matter but a calculated move aimed at weakening Besigye's legal representation. They alleged that the action was intended to remove the leadership of the defence team and intimidate lawyers involved in the high-profile case.
The legal team also pointed to a series of public social media posts by Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, suggesting they may have influenced the events surrounding Karua's blocked entry.
Maintaining that the detention and deportation process violated the Ugandan Constitution, the East African Community Treaty and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the lawyers demanded Karua's immediate release while she was still at the airport.
They further called for "unimpeded access" to her by family members and Kenyan diplomats, a halt to any deportation proceedings, and intervention from regional law societies and the international community.
Karua's deportation has since fueled fresh debate across East Africa, with critics questioning the circumstances under which a prominent Kenyan lawyer and political figure was denied entry into a fellow East African Community member state.
The incident is also likely to heighten scrutiny of Uganda's handling of opposition-linked legal proceedings and regional diplomatic relations.
