GO BACK TO KENYA: Martha Karua Blocked at Entebbe Airport, Colleagues Allowed into Uganda

ENTEBBE — Kenyan Senior Counsel and opposition figure Martha Karua was on Monday turned away at Entebbe International Airport and directed to return to Nairobi after immigration authorities refused her entry into Uganda, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) has confirmed.

Karua, who is part of the legal team defending Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale in a high-profile treason case, had travelled to Kampala as part of a regional legal delegation attending proceedings linked to Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.

According to the Uganda Law Society, the delegation arrived together but was processed differently at immigration, with Karua being separated from her colleagues at the point of entry.

In a statement shared on X, the ULS said: “Ms. Karua was accompanied by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President, Charles Kanjama, and other legal colleagues. While Mr. Kanjama and the rest of the delegation were cleared by immigration officials, Ms. Karua was singled out, blocked, and instructed to return to her home country without any explanation.”

Witnesses at the airport said the Kenyan delegation had initially proceeded through normal immigration checks before Karua was halted and escorted aside for further verification. Moments later, she was informed she would not be allowed into the country.

The ULS deputy president Antony Asiimwe, who had gone to receive the visiting lawyers, said the decision appeared abrupt and unexplained.

“We came to receive the team from Kenya… but when we reached the airport, we were made to understand that only two members of the team were allowed. Senior Counsel Martha Karua was not allowed to enter the country and she is being deported,” Asiimwe said.

He further added: “No reason was given for the denial of her entry. They just told her she can’t enter Uganda.”
The move comes at a sensitive moment in the Kampala legal and political environment, as proceedings in the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court were set to address Lukwago’s bail application. Erias Lukwago, a prominent lawyer and opposition figure, is facing charges of misprision of treason and was remanded to Luzira Prison last week.

The state alleges that Lukwago failed to disclose information related to an alleged treason conspiracy involving Dr. Besigye.

The wider treason case has already drawn regional attention following the arrest and military court appearance of Dr. Besigye and Hajj Lutale, who were recently brought before a military tribunal after their transfer from Nairobi in circumstances that have raised legal and diplomatic questions.

By press time, Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and immigration authorities had not issued any official statement explaining why Karua was denied entry or what specific grounds were used to bar her from attending the court proceedings.

In Makindye, court sessions proceeded as scheduled, with Lukwago presented before the magistrate for mention of his case and a ruling expected on his bail application.

Last week, Lukwago was Charged and Remanded to Luzira. See Details on what Exactly Misprision of Treason is and How We Got Here.