(ENTEBBE, UGANDA) – Ugandan immigration authorities have denied entry to Kenyan opposition leader Martha Karua, blocking her at Entebbe International Airport and sending her back to Nairobi on the same day she was due to appear in a Kampala court. Ms Karua, a former Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, had travelled to Uganda to join the legal team defending detained opposition figure Kizza Besigye.
Ms Karua arrived in Entebbe on a Kenya Airways flight accompanied by the President of the Law Society of Kenya, Charles Kanjama. Both lawyers were scheduled to attend a court session where Mr Besigye’s application for bail was to be heard. Mr Besigye has been in detention facing treason charges since he was allegedly abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024.
The Besigye case, together with the alleged abduction of the opposition leader and his aide Obeid Lutale, has stirred sharp debate across the East African region over legal jurisdiction and human rights standards. The treatment of Ms Karua, a senior legal professional from a neighbouring state, is likely to add further strain to the diplomatic conversation around the handling of political cases in Uganda.
Upon landing, immigration officers detained Ms Karua while Mr Kanjama was permitted to enter the country. No official reason was given for the decision to block her. Speaking to the press after landing back at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Ms Karua likened the Ugandan government’s actions to the dictatorial rule of former President Idi Amin Dada, where the military often overrides civilian police authority.
She questioned the logic of being barred from a fellow East African Community member state while holding a valid East African passport. Ms Karua asked whether the regional bloc is a community of nations or simply a club for presidents. Her remarks pointed to growing frustration with the uneven application of regional integration principles when political cases are involved.
Mr Kanjama expressed surprise at the incident, posting on X that it was difficult to understand why one lawyer was allowed entry while the other was turned away, given that both had travelled for the same case. He called on Ugandan authorities to provide an explanation.
The chairperson of the Uganda Law Society, Antony Asiimwe, who had gone to the airport to receive the visiting legal team, said no reasons were given for the refusal of entry. He stated that immigration officials simply told Ms Karua that she could not be allowed into Uganda.
Ms Karua’s legal colleague in the Besigye case, Erias Lukwago, was himself charged with a treason related offence only last week. He was brought to court in a weak state a few days after being arrested at his home and denied charges of failing to report a treason case. The court ordered him to remain in prison custody pending the hearing.
The attempt by Ms Karua to represent Mr Besigye has faced several obstacles. Her initial application to practise law in Uganda was rejected, and she noted that this is not the first time she has been expelled from a neighbouring country. Last year, she was turned away in Tanzania when she tried to attend the court case of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who also faces treason charges.
Ms Karua broadened her criticism to include Kenya, saying the country has become a centre for the abduction and expulsion of foreign nationals. She cited the case of Brian Kagoro, a lawyer and activist, who was expelled from Kenya, along with citizens of South Sudan and Turkey who have faced similar treatment. She stated that her denial of entry into Uganda was, in her view, against the law.
She revealed further details of her detention at Entebbe, alleging that two immigration officers forcibly took her mobile phone before later returning it. Two officers remained seated next to her until she boarded the flight back to Nairobi. Before departure, she was handed a letter formally barring her from entering Uganda. She said immigration officers had initially intended to hold her in a cell before moving her to the passenger area to wait for the return flight.