Key facts
- Former Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua was denied entry into Uganda.
- Karua was traveling to represent detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye.
- Ugandan authorities provided no reason for blocking her entry.
- Karua's Kenyan colleague, Charles Kanjama, was permitted to enter Uganda.
- Karua's Ugandan lawyer, Erias Lukwago, is currently detained on treason-related charges.
Leading Kenyan lawyer and former Justice Minister Martha Karua was blocked from entering Uganda and ordered to return home, the Uganda Law Society announced. Karua had arrived at Entebbe airport to join the defense team for detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who is facing treason charges.
Ugandan authorities did not provide a reason for denying Karua entry. Notably, Charles Kanjama, President of Kenya's Law Society and who had traveled with Karua for the same legal matter, was allowed into the country. Kanjama expressed concern over the disparate treatment and called for an explanation from Ugandan authorities.
Karua's Ugandan colleague, lawyer Erias Lukwago, who is also representing Besigye, was recently arrested and remanded in prison on charges of failing to report treason. Besigye himself has been in detention since being forcibly returned to Uganda from Kenya in late 2024.