Uganda Deports Kenyan Lawyer Martha Karua, Declares Her a Prohibited Immigrant

Ugandan authorities barred prominent Kenyan lawyer and senior opposition politician Martha Karua from entering the country on arrival at Entebbe International Airport, deporting her on immigration grounds that put her in the category of a prohibited immigrant. Senior Counsel Karua, a former Minister of Justice in Kenya, arrived in Uganda on June 22 to join the legal team representing opposition figures Dr Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale, who are facing treason-related accusations in a case that has attracted regional and worldwide attention. Karua said she was arrested by immigration officers soon after arrival and told she would not be allowed into Uganda. She also said officials asked to see her mobile phones, which she refused, and temporarily took them. Ugandan officials have not publicly validated her story of what happened to her electronic gadgets. After several hours at the airport, Karua was placed on a return flight to Nairobi and handed an official immigration notice identifying her as a barred immigrant under Uganda’s Citizenship and Immigration Control Act. One copy of the notice circulating online said: “She was declared persona non grata and denied entry. The deportation has sparked widespread debate across East Africa, with opposition politicians, legal practitioners and some human rights groups condemning the move to ban a lawyer from entering the country to participate in court proceedings. Some regional civil society organisations have characterised the action as a setback for access to legal representation and the rule of law. Ugandan officials, however, have stood by the decision. Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba publicly declared that he personally approved Karua’s deportation from Uganda, saying her presence would have compromised national security and public order. He accused the Kenyan lawmaker of trying to meddle in Uganda’s domestic issues under the pretext of human rights advocacy. The Ugandan government has not disclosed further details on the precise intelligence or legal basis of those charges. Karua, Kenya’s Minister of Justice and the running mate of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Kenya’s 2022 presidential election, has been a vocal proponent of constitutional governance and democratic reforms throughout the region. In recent months, she has joined legal teams representing opposition politicians in several East African nations. Her specific clients in Uganda include senior opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale, who were charged with treason after their detention. The case has drawn the attention of both domestic observers and foreign rights groups, many of whom have demanded due process and transparent court processes. Uganda’s immigration rules give the government extensive discretionary power to refuse entry to foreign nationals deemed undesirable or whose presence is judged to be against the country’s national interests. The term persona non grata is usually used in diplomatic practice under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but governments can also restrict entrance to non-diplomats under their domestic immigration laws. The episode is likely to add to tensions in regional debates over democracy, judicial independence, and the treatment of opposition figures in East Africa. Governments have the sovereign right to control admission into their countries, but judgments are generally more closely scrutinised when they involve high-profile political figures or lawyers involved in sensitive political matters, analysts say. Neither the Ugandan Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control had issued a thorough public comment in response to Karua’s allegation as of publication.