Uganda Declares Martha Karua Persona Non Grata, Deports Her

Senior Counsel Martha Karua returned to Nairobi on Monday after Ugandan authorities denied her entry at Entebbe International Airport and deported her without providing a public explanation.

Karua, leader of the People’s Liberation Party, had travelled to Uganda to take part in a treason case involving opposition figures. She serves as counsel for veteran opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale and was among a delegation of lawyers expected to support the defence team of Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.

While other members of the delegation, including Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama, were cleared by immigration officials, Karua was stopped, detained and later returned to Kenya. According to Karua, immigration officers held her incommunicado and confiscated her phone upon arrival.

Speaking after landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, she said the phone was later returned but she declined to accept it because of concerns it may have been tampered with. She said she was escorted by immigration officers to the Kenya Airways lounge before being placed on a flight back to Nairobi.

During the flight, she was given a letter formally declaring her persona non grata in Uganda. The Uganda Law Society confirmed the incident and said immigration authorities did not provide a reason for the decision.

Its Deputy President, Antony Asiimwe, who had gone to the airport to receive the delegation, said officials only informed Karua that she would not be allowed to enter the country. By the time of publication, Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs had not issued a statement explaining the legal basis for the decision.

Karua’s deportation came as the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Makindye was preparing to rule on Lukwago’s bail application. Lukwago was remanded to Luzira Prison last week after being charged with misprision of treason, accused of failing to disclose information relating to an alleged treason plot involving Besigye.

The case has attracted regional interest because Besigye and Lutale were previously returned from Nairobi to Uganda to face trial before a military court.
The decision to bar Karua from entering Uganda prevented her from participating in the proceedings and has raised questions about the treatment of visiting lawyers involved in politically sensitive cases.