PFF Strongly Condemns Deportation of Senior Kenyan Counsel Martha Karua from Uganda

The People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) has vehemently condemned the deportation of Martha Karua, Kenya’s former Justice Minister and Senior Counsel, after she was denied entry into Uganda at Entebbe International Airport.

Karua, a prominent political figure and leading legal mind in the region, had travelled to Kampala to join the legal defence team for detained opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye and to follow up on the condition of her co-counsel, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.  

The abrupt deportation has sparked outrage among political actors and legal fraternities across East Africa, with the PFF describing the move as politically motivated, unlawful, and a blatant violation of the East African Community (EAC) Treaty.  

Karua’s visit to Uganda was strictly in a professional and legal capacity. She is part of the high-profile defence team representing Dr. Kizza Besigye, alongside his co-accused Hajji Obeid Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola, who are currently facing treason charges over allegations of plotting to overthrow the government.  

Additionally, Karua intended to check on Erias Lukwago. The Kampala Lord Mayor, who is also a key member of Besigye’s defence, was recently arrested, charged with misprision of treason, and remanded to prison.  

While Ugandan immigration authorities have yet to issue an official explanation for declaring Karua persona non grata, the Law Society of Kenya President, Charles Kanjama, who travelled with Karua in the same professional capacity, was cleared and allowed entry into the country. 

ALSO READ:

• Court Martial Convicts Wakiso Taxi Driver Over UPDF Attire
• Court Martial Sentences Two State Informers to Death
• Renegade Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu Apprehended in Soroti City Over Subversive Activities
• Abraham Luzzi Slasts UEDCL After Blackout Interrupts Birthday Party
• Celebrated Comedian Kapere Passes Away

The PFF leadership and Dr. Besigye’s legal team released a joint condemnation, arguing that holding Karua incommunicado before forcing her back onto a Nairobi-bound flight was a direct affront to her personal liberty and right to practice law across the region.  

The defence team characterized the deportation as part of a broader, escalating pattern of intimidation targeting lawyers handling politically sensitive cases in Uganda. They pointed to recent social media pronouncements attributed to the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who warned of an impending “Rectification Campaign” targeting individuals he branded as traitors. Lawyers argue these statements have created a climate of fear that is now being aggressively extended to the legal profession.  

The East Africa Law Society and the Law Society of Kenya have both weighed in, demanding clarity from the Ugandan government and threatening legal action against authorities for violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and EAC protocols that guarantee the free movement of persons.  

For Martha Karua, this is the second time in just over a year that she has faced state-level expulsion within East Africa. In 2025, Tanzanian authorities detained and deported her from Dar es Salaam when she travelled to observe the treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.  

Political analysts and rights groups warn that these coordinated efforts by regional governments to block legal representation and silence opposition figures signal a severe backsliding of democratic principles across the East African Community.