Combative lawyer Miguna Miguna returned to Kenya on Thursday, after almost five years in exile, and plans to settle "unfinished business".
He was a VIP guest at the Mashujaa Day celebrations, President William Ruto's first at President of Kenya. And at the State House luncheon afterward.
Miguna reportedly was hand-delivered a Kenyan passport while he was in Canada. A dual-national, he had refused to reapply for a Kenyan passport.
He was a key figure at the swearing-in of Opposition chief Raila Odinga as the "people's president" in January 2018 and earned the Executive's ire. He was deported after police raided and damaged his home, taking him into custody.
After touchdown at JKIA at 6am, Miguna said he was “extremely happy to be back home” and thanked Kenyans for voting for the Kenya Kwanza government.
“Without this administration, I would not be back home,” the controversial lawyer said.
He was deported following his role in the swearing-in of opposition chief Raila Odinga as the People’s President on January 30, 2018.
Many court orders are accumulating because there are people who acted with impunity ... I will make sure that all those who violated my rights are held accountable for the sake of justice
“What happened to me should not happen to anyone else," he said at the airport.
He also said he will be following up on numerous court orders that were granted for his Kenyan passport and other issues but disobeyed by the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"As you all know, there are very many court orders that have been accumulating because there are people who acted with impunity,” Miguna said.
"In the coming weeks and months, I will make sure that all those who violated my rights are held accountable for the sake of justice."
In December 2018, the High Court in Nairobi ordered Interior Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i and Immigration Principal Secretary Gordon Kihalangwa to jointly pay Miguna Sh7.2 million from their own pockets.
In granting the orders, Justice Chacha Mwita said taxpayers will not bear the burden for the pair’s illegal actions.
On his Twitter account on September 21, 2022, Miguna demanded that the two leaders pay him his money.
The court also ordered that six top government and police officials must together personally pay his legal costs after he sued over his arrest, torture and deportation.
Miguna has also filed an affidavit in court claiming he spent Sh274,000 to repair his house in Runda, Nairobi.
In the court documents filed by lawyer John Khaminwa, Miguna said the money was used by his designer to renovate the house after it was allegedly damaged by state officers when they raided his home on February 2, 2018, and arrested him.
The former government had declared Miguna a prohibited immigrant. He was driven to JKIA and deported to Canada.
Miguna tried to return to Kenya on March 26, 2018. But he was denied entry and instead detained incommunicado and without food and access to his lawyers in a toilet at Terminal 2 of JKIA before he was flown to Dubai
On November 22, 2021, Miguna was directed by the court to obtain emergency travel documents in Canada or Germany within 72 hours, to enable him return to Kenya.
Justice Hedwig Ong’udi asked the lawyer to visit Kenya’s High Commission in Ottawa or Berlin, or elsewhere to be facilitated with the temporary travel documents.
He refused to apply for a new Kenyan passport because he said he was a Kenyan citizen.
Miguna was among special guests at Mashujaa Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi on Thursday.
After returning to the country, Miguna went home, then joined Kenyans for the celebrations.
On Wednesday evening, Miguna shared on social media a picture of his official invitation card to attend Mashujaa Day celebrations.
When he was deported, officials argued the that lawyer Miguna, who holds dual Canadian-Kenyan nationality, is not a Kenyan citizen.
Former Chief Justice, David Maraga, while criticising the government for disobeying court orders, cited Miguna’s case as an example.
The government, however, claimed it tried to obey the court by providing Miguna with paperwork to reinstate his passport, but he allegedly refused.
The court said he should have been allowed to enter the country.
(Edited by V. Graham)
