Martha Karua returns to Kenya after detention and persona non grata declaration in Uganda
via Tuko3 min read
Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua has returned to Kenya after being denied entry into Uganda and declared persona non grata. Karua detailed that upon her arrival at Entebbe International Airport, Ugandan immigration officers confiscated her phones, closely monitored her movements, and later escorted her onto a return flight to Nairobi. She had traveled to Kampala to join the legal teams for high-profile court proceedings involving opposition figures Kizza Besigye, Hajj Obeid Lutale, and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, who faces treason allegations. Karua stated that officers informed her of a note against her and, despite her request to wait in the Kenya Airways lounge, she was closely watched. She also mentioned that her phones were returned, but she declined to take them back due to concerns about tampering. The official letter declaring her persona non grata was handed to her while she was already on the flight back to Kenya. Ugandan immigration authorities have not yet publicly explained their decision.
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