Former Kenyan justice minister blocked from entering Uganda, lawyers' body says

Leading Kenyan lawyer and former Justice Minister Martha Karua has been blocked from entering Uganda and ordered to return home, according to the Uganda Law Society.

Karua had just arrived at the Entebbe airport to join a team defending her Ugandan lawyer colleague Erias Lukwago, with whom they have been representing detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who is on trial for treason.

Lukwago was himself charged with a treason-related offence last week, and his bail hearing had been due on Monday.

A statement from Karua’s office said she had been detained at the airport, adding that she was expected to return to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Monday but “remains incommunicado”.

“Her senior team reports that she is unreachable, with her mobile phones switched off and they continue to await direct communication regarding her status and expected return,” it said.

Ugandan authorities did not give a reason for blocking Karua, although Kenya’s Law Society President Charles Kanjama, who had travelled with her, was allowed in.

Kanjama said it was “of particular concern” that Karua had been blocked, despite her travelling “for the same matter and in the same professional capacity” as himself.

“It is difficult to understand why one member of a defence team should be admitted while another is turned away,” he said in a post on X, while calling on Ugandan authorities to explain their actions.

Uganda’s immigration authorities have not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.

Lukwago appeared in court last Wednesday looking weak days after he had been arrested at his home.

He denied charges of failing to report treason relating to Besigye’s case and was remanded in prison.

Besigye has been jailed on treason charges since being abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024. His abduction, alongside that of his aide Obeid Lutale, sparked intense regional debate over legal jurisdiction and human rights.

The Law Society of Kenya on Monday expressed support for “members of the legal profession across East Africa who continue to uphold the cause of justice under often difficult circumstances”.

It called on the relevant authorities to provide clarity on the circumstances that Karua had been denied entry to Uganda.

The BBC has reached out to the Kenyan government for comment.

Karua faced several hurdles before she was eventually cleared to represent Besigye – including her initial application to practise as a lawyer in Uganda being rejected.

She was also deported from Tanzania last year to prevent her from attending the court case of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who also faces treason charges.

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