Senior Counsel and People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua / HANDOUT
Senior Counsel and People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua is en route to Nairobi following her detention and denial of entry by Ugandan authorities earlier today.
Karua has departed Entebbe and is expected to arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) later in the day.
According to her team, the senior counsel was briefly held at Entebbe International Airport before being turned away upon arrival in Uganda. Ugandan authorities have issued no official explanation regarding the decision.
Members of the media have been invited to a press briefing at JKIA at 4:00 PM upon her arrival, where she is expected to address the circumstances surrounding her detention, denial of entry, and subsequent release.
Her team said the incident raises concerns about respect for the rule of law and democratic freedoms within the East African Community, noting that further details will be provided during the briefing.
Karua had been blocked from entering Uganda and ordered to return home, according to the Uganda Law Society. SC Karua had travelled to Uganda aboard a Kenya Airways flight alongside Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama to attend a court session related to the bail application of Ugandan opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye.
Karua had just arrived at Entebbe airport to join a team defending her Ugandan lawyer colleague, Erias Lukwago, with whom she has been representing detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who is on trial for treason.
Lukwago was himself charged with a treason-related offence last week, and his bail hearing was due on Monday.
Ugandan authorities did not give a reason for blocking Karua, although Kenya's Law Society President Charles Kanjama, who had travelled with her, was allowed in.
Kanjama said it was "of particular concern" that Karua was blocked, despite her travelling "for the same matter and in the same professional capacity" as himself.
"It is difficult to understand why one member of a defence team should be admitted while another is turned away," he said in a post on X, while calling on Ugandan authorities to explain their actions.
According to the BBC, Uganda's immigration authorities have not responded to a request for comment.
Karua’s office described the situation as urgent and said efforts were ongoing to obtain information from Ugandan authorities regarding her status and expected return to Nairobi.
Lukwago appeared in court last Wednesday looking weak days after he had been arrested at his home.
He denied charges of failing to report treason relating to Besigye's case and was remanded in prison.
Besigye has been jailed on treason charges since being abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024. His abduction, alongside that of his aide Obeid Lutale, sparked intense regional debate over legal jurisdiction and human rights.
