MARTHA KARUA DEPORTED FROM UGANDA IN CONTROVERSIAL REPEAT OF TANZANIA ORDEAL

Martha Karua Deported from Uganda in Repeat of Tanzania Ordeal

Nairobi, June 23, 2026 — Kenyan Senior Counsel, People’s Liberation Party leader, and former Justice Minister Martha Karua was deported from Uganda on June 22, 2026, after being detained at Entebbe International Airport. The incident closely mirrors her deportation from Tanzania in May 2025, highlighting a pattern of restrictions on legal professionals and cross-border solidarity in East Africa.

Karua arrived at Entebbe International Airport around 8:50 a.m. on a Kenya Airways flight. She was traveling with colleagues, including Law Society of Kenya President Senior Counsel Charles Kanjama and Advocate John Gicheru, to support Ugandan lawyer and politician Erias Lukwago in a bail hearing. Lukwago, her co-counsel in the high-profile treason-related case of detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale, faced charges of misprision of treason.

She completed standard immigration procedures, including Ebola surveillance and health declaration forms, and was initially cleared. While waiting in the baggage area with hand luggage, an immigration officer approached her, claiming a “mistake” had been made and citing a “note” or “red alert” on her. She was escorted to the Principal Immigration Officer’s office. According to Karua’s account, officers snatched her mobile phones by force — one while she held it and another when she tried to communicate. She described the officers as rude and ill-behaved, and she was held incommunicado for a period.

Ugandan authorities issued her a formal “Notice to return or convey prohibited immigrant” dated June 22, 2026, declaring her persona non grata. She was placed on a return flight to Nairobi the same day. No detailed official explanation was given at the airport, though the action is widely linked to her role in politically sensitive opposition cases.

Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Karua addressed the media, describing the ordeal as humiliating and unlawful. She vowed to continue advocating for rights across the region and stated she would return to Uganda after President Yoweri Museveni leaves power. Charles Kanjama and other colleagues were allowed entry.

This event repeats a similar pattern from May 18, 2025, when Karua, accompanied by lawyer Gloria Kimani of the Law Society of Kenya and human rights advocate Lynn Ngugi, arrived at Julius Nyerere International Airport. They intended to observe or show solidarity in the treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

Immigration officials stopped them shortly after arrival, confiscated their passports, and subjected the group to hours of interrogation and detention at the airport. They were deported back to Nairobi the same day without being allowed entry. No specific offense was cited, and the move was seen as preventing cross-border legal support for the opposition case. Karua publicly described the detention while still at the airport, calling it ridiculous and a violation of East African Community principles of free movement.

Both incidents have drawn strong condemnation from the Uganda Law Society, the Law Society of Kenya, and the East Africa Law Society. These bodies criticized the actions as attacks on the legal profession, judicial independence, and regional integration. Critics view the deportations as part of a broader pattern of criminalizing legal defense work and limiting solidarity in high-profile treason cases involving opposition figures like Besigye and Lissu. Muhoozi Kainerugaba reportedly took responsibility for the Uganda deportation.

The repeated targeting of prominent Kenyan legal figures at regional airports underscores ongoing tensions around free movement of professionals within the East African Community and raises questions about judicial fairness in politically charged cases. Official explanations from Ugandan and Tanzanian authorities have remained limited, prompting calls for greater transparency and adherence to EAC protocols. Legal responses and potential lawsuits from regional lawyers’ bodies are expected in the coming days.