The Lead Lawyer in Opposition Figure Dr Kizza Besigye's Treason Case, Martha Karua was On Monday Morning 21-6-2026 Blocked by Security Upon Arrival at Entebbe International Airport by Security and Deported Her Back to Kenya

The Lead Lawyer in Opposition Figure Dr Kizza Besigye's Treason Case, Martha Karua was On Monday Morning 21-6-2026 Blocked by Security Upon Arrival at Entebbe International Airport by Security and Deported Her Back to Kenya.

Turned Back at Entebbe Airport

chimpreports.com

ENTEBBE, Uganda — Kenyan senior counsel Martha Karua was on Monday denied entry into Uganda and ordered to return to Nairobi, adding a new twist to the escalating legal and political battles surrounding opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.

Karua, who recently joined Besigye’s defence team, arrived at Entebbe International Airport but was stopped by immigration officials and instructed to leave the country.

The Uganda Law Society (ULS) broke the news, saying: “Dr. Kizza Besigye and Obeid Lutale’s lead-counsel Hon. Martha Karua, SC, [was] denied entry at Entebbe International Airport. She has been ordered to return and given no reason.”

The ULS added that Karua was accompanied by Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama, who was allowed entry into Uganda.

The incident comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Uganda’s legal fraternity.

Besigye’s longtime lawyer, Erias Lukwago, is currently on remand at Luzira Prison after being charged with misprision of treason.

He has this Monday appeared before Makindye Chief a Magistrate’s Court as he seeks release on bail.

Lukwago’s arrest earlier this month triggered outrage among lawyers, opposition politicians and civil society groups after he was seized from his Wakaliga home by armed men in military uniform and held incommunicado for nearly two days.

The Uganda Law Society subsequently announced a nationwide lawyers’ strike set for June 26, while the East Africa Law Society condemned what it described as intimidation of lawyers involved in politically sensitive cases.

Karua’s exclusion is likely to further strain relations between Ugandan authorities and regional legal bodies, which have increasingly taken an interest in the Besigye and Lukwago cases.

A former Kenyan Justice Minister and one of East Africa’s most prominent human rights lawyers, Karua has been a vocal critic of democratic backsliding in the region.

Her decision to join Besigye’s defence team was viewed as a significant boost for the opposition leader’s legal battle.

The denial of entry also comes amid growing international attention on Uganda following the detention of Lukwago and public statements by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba regarding both Lukwago and Besigye.

In recent days, several of Lukwago’s friends and associates, including veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda, have publicly appealed to Muhoozi to allow the opposition politician to be released on bail.

According to sources familiar with the matter, some members of the First Family have also privately urged the CDF to de-escalate the standoff by allowing Lukwago’s release.

So far, Muhoozi has given no indication that he supports such a move.

Instead, he appeared to harden his stance last week when he posted on X: “Lukwago has been craving my attention for decades. He has it now. He is in prison and he will never come out.”

By Monday morning, neither the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control nor the Ministry of Internal Affairs had publicly explained why Karua was denied entry into Uganda.