Karua, Uganda lawyers sue Museveni's government over June deportation
Crime and Justice
By
Kamau Muthoni
| Sep 26, 2026
People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has sued the Ugandan government following her deportation in June this year.
Karua, who was to represent Uganda’s Forum for Democratic Change leader Kizza Besigye and his assistant Hajji Obeid Lutale, who are facing treason charges, was sent back to Kenya after being informed that she had been declared persona non grata.
In her case filed before the Ugandan High Court, Karua, alongside the Uganda Law Society (ULS), argued that she holds a practicing certificate that allows her to represent persons and appear before courts within East Africa.
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However, she said she was denied the right to a fair hearing, nor was she told what crime she had committed to warrant the drastic action.
“The second applicant (Karua) has suffered and continues to suffer serious professional and reputational injury as a distinguished Senior Counsel publicly labelled "Persona Non Grata" without any lawful basis, causing lasting damage to her standing within the East African legal community and beyond,” her court papers read in part.
Karua, a senior counsel and former Justice Minister, arrived at Entebbe International Airport aboard a Kenya Airways flight alongside Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Charles Kanjama. The delegation had travelled to Kampala to attend the bail hearing of Erias Lukwago, who represents the country’s opposition figure Kizza Besigye.
“I went through immigration as normal after filling out the Ebola forms. I was actually processed and went to wait for my colleagues. While waiting, the immigration officer who cleared me came and told me she had been informed that she had made a mistake and that there was a note regarding me. I had been told last week that there was a possibility of a red alert on me in Kampala,” Karua narrated.
While Kanjama was cleared by immigration officials without incident, Karua was singled out, detained for several hours and eventually informed that she had been denied entry. No reason was provided for the decision.
She stated that she desires to go back to Uganda to represent her clients if and when the court intervenes.
“The second applicant is a Senior Counsel of high standing and the holder of a Special Practising Certificate duly issued by the Uganda Judiciary under Section 18 of the Advocates Act Cap 295 authorizing her to lead the defence team in Criminal Session Case No. 335 of 2025 (Uganda versus Dr. Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale) and any related proceedings. Copies of the instruction note from Dr. Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale together with
the Special Practising Certificate,” court papers continue to read.
ULS’s Vice Chair Asiimwe Anthony told the Ugandan court that President Kaguta Museveni’s administration’s actions had harmed the lawyers’ body’s stand.
He stated that he had personally, on June 22, 2026, gone to Entebbe to receive Karua but got a shocker that her mobile phones had been taken and she was being detained in a holding cell.
He said that despite pleading with Uganda’s Internal Affairs Minister and the Chief Immigration Officer for her release, they nevertheless handed her to the Kenya Airways manager with a notice that she was a prohibited immigrant.
“ The said decision is illegal, irrational and procedurally improper for the reasons stated in the notice of motion. The impugned decision constitutes a clear, deliberate and high-handed violation of the second applicant's constitutional rights specified in the notice of motion, as well as her professional rights as an Advocate, and further constitutes an institutional injury tothe1st Applicant's statutory mandate,” argued Asiimwe.
Karua wants the court to quash the directive. She is also seeking compensation for violation of her rights.