Karua Takes Uganda to Court Over Deportation
Kenyan Senior Counsel and People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has filed a case in Uganda challenging her deportation and the decision to bar her from entering the country.
Kenyan Senior Counsel and People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has filed a case in Uganda challenging her deportation and the decision to bar her from entering the country.
Karua, together with the Uganda Law Society, has sued Uganda’s Attorney General over the immigration decision made at Entebbe International Airport on June 22, 2026.
The applicants want Uganda’s High Court to overturn the decision declaring Karua persona non grata and preventing her from entering the country to undertake her professional duties as a lawyer.
According to court documents, Karua had travelled to Uganda in connection with the case involving opposition politician Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Hajj Obeid Lutale. She had obtained a Special Practising Certificate allowing her to appear before Ugandan courts.
Karua says immigration officials stopped her after she arrived at Entebbe, took possession of her mobile phones and subsequently directed her to return to Kenya.
She argues that the decision was made without giving her an opportunity to explain herself or providing adequate reasons for denying her entry.
The Uganda Law Society has joined the case, arguing that the decision raises concerns about the independence of the legal profession and the ability of lawyers to represent their clients without interference.
The applicants are asking the court to declare the immigration decision unlawful, arbitrary, unreasonable and procedurally improper. They also want the decision quashed and immigration authorities restrained from preventing Karua from entering Uganda for legitimate professional purposes.
They contend that Karua’s Special Practising Certificate authorised her to practise before Ugandan courts and that her exclusion has affected her ability to represent Besigye and Lutale.
The dispute is linked to the ongoing treason proceedings against Besigye and Lutale. The two were arrested in Nairobi in November 2024 before being taken to Uganda, where they were initially prosecuted before a military court.
The case was later moved to the civilian justice system following a Supreme Court ruling concerning the trial of civilians by military courts. Besigye and Lutale were subsequently charged before the Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court.
Karua has been part of Besigye’s defence team and has argued that her exclusion from Uganda has interfered with her ability to perform her duties as his lawyer.
The Uganda Law Society says it initially attempted to have the immigration decision withdrawn through administrative channels before moving to court.
It maintains that the decision affected Karua’s professional standing and argues that the matter requires judicial intervention.
The Ugandan Attorney General had not responded to the latest application at the time of the report.
The case will now determine whether the immigration decision that prevented Karua from entering Uganda was lawful and whether she can return to the country to resume her professional duties.
