ENTEBBE: Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua has been denied entry into Uganda at Entebbe International Airport and instructed to return to Kenya.
Ms Karua, the lead counsel for embattled opposition figure Dr Kiiza Besigye had been expected in Court for her colleague Erias Lukwago’s bail application ruling in Kampala today.
Mr.Lukwago, is one of the other lawyers representing Dr Besigye and his Aide Hajji Obed Lutale in the treason case against them.
Ms.Karua arrived with a team of other senior lawyers from Kenya, including the president of the Law Society of Kenya, Mr.Charles Kanjama.
The Uganda Law Society deputy president Mr.Antony Asiimwe, who was at Entebbe International Airport to welcome the team, says no reason was given for the decision to deny her entry into Uganda and she is scheduled for deportation.
“We have just come to receive a team from Kenya, including the president, Senior Counsel Mr. Charles Kanjama, the president of the Law Society of Kenya, as well as Martha Karua, senior counsel, who is on the same legal team for Colonel Dr. Kiiza Besigye with Mr Erias Lukwago, but when we reached the airport, we were meant to understand that only the two members of the team were allowed, but Martha Karua, senior counsel, was not allowed to enter the country and she’s being deported, “ He said.
He however added that, “No reason was given for the denial of her entry, they just told her she can’t enter Uganda and from there they are deporting her,” he added
This as Mr Lukwago was being produced before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Makindye to receive a ruling on his bail application.
On June 17th, 2026, Lukwago was produced to court after 3 days of arrest and charged with misprision of treason, an offence he denied before Chief Magistrate Sarah Basemera.
On the same day, his lawyers led by Mr Medard Lubega Ssegona filed an application seeking his release on bail pending investigations and trial.
In the application, Lukwago argued his bail would be granted bail on grounds of ill health, the constitutional presumption of innocence, and his right to bail since the offence is bailable.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions opposed the application and asked the court to deny him bail, arguing that he was a flight risk and could interfere with witnesses if released.
The unlawful detention and threatened deportation of Ms Martha Karua at Entebbe International Airport yesterday morning was received with condemned by the Dr Kizza Besigye defense team on allegations that she was held incommunicado
denied all contact with counsel, with the defence team, and with her own family pending an unlawful deportation to the Republic of Kenya.
According to the statement, dated June 22, Ms Karua had travelled to Uganda for the lawful and entirely proper purpose of attending the court mention and bail ruling of Mr. Erias Lukwago, and in continued solidarity with the defence of Col. (Rtd.) Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale.
The defense team described that to detain an advocate at the airport, sever her from her family and colleagues, and expel her for the offence of doing her duty as a lawyer was an assault not on one person but on the administration of justice itself.
“The detention and threatened deportation of Senior Counsel Martha Karua violates: the right to liberty, to a fair hearing, and to counsel of one’s choice under Articles 23, 28 and 44 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda,” the statement read in part.
It further added that, “The prohibition on incommunicado detention and on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under Article 24 and the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act, Cap. 130; the free movement of persons and the principles of good governance, the rule of law and human rights guaranteed by Articles 6(d), 7(2) and 104 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, and the right of a detained foreign national to consular notification and access under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” further reads the stamen.
The defense team later demand the immediate cessation of the incommunicado detention of Senior Counsel Karua and unimpeded access to her by her lawyers, her family, and the Kenyan diplomatic mission, that any deportation be halted pending lawful determination, reasons furnished in writing, and her right to challenge the decision respected; welcome intervention of the Uganda Law Society, the Law Society of Kenya, the East Africa Law Society, and other stakeholders in this urgent matter.
It also urged the diplomatic missions of Kenya and the international community, and the relevant United Nations Special Procedures, to be seized of this matter as a matter of urgency.
Another statement from Ms Martha Karua executive office dated June 22, stated that by 1pm, Ms Karua remained in commucado despite her scheduled plan to return to Nairobi.
“Her senior team reports that she is unreachable, with her mobile phones switched off, and they continue to wait direct communication regarding her status and expected return,” the statement read in part.
Ms Karua who is a Senior Counsel in Kenya, is a member of both the Law Society of Kenya and the East Africa Law Society. She previously served as a cabinet minister in the Kenyan government, holding several portfolios including Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
She has been actively involved in Dr Kizza Besigye’s treason case since his abduction in Nairobi on November 16, 2024, during her book launch, has continued to lead his defense under a valid legal practicing certificate issued in Uganda.
Her certification is registered through the law firm of Erias Lukwago, the immediate former Lord Mayor of Kampala.
Lukwago who serves as a co-lead alongside Ms Karua in Dr Besigye’s defense, was taken into custody during an early morning raid at his residence on June 15. Following a period of commucado detention, he was subsequently charged with misprision of treason, the crime of concealing knowledge of a treasonous plot, in connection to the charges facing Dr Besigye.
