By KPC Reporter
Kenyan Senior Counsel and People’s Liberation Party (PLP) presidential aspirant Martha Karua was on Sunday detained at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport.
This happened after authorities reportedly denied her entry into the country, triggering concern among her legal team and supporters, according to a statement from PLP released Monday.
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According to a statement, Karua arrived in Uganda aboard a Kenya Airways flight but was stopped by immigration officials upon arrival and has since remained incommunicado.
“Senior Counsel and PLP Presidential Aspirant Martha Karua has been detained at Entebbe International Airport after Uganda authorities denied her entry into the country this morning,” the statement said.
Karua had travelled to Kampala alongside Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo and LSK Council member Charles Kanjama to attend a court session involving Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Haji Obeid Lutale.
While Kanjama was reportedly allowed into Uganda, Karua remained detained at the airport. Her office said attempts to reach her had been unsuccessful.
“Her senior team reports that she is unreachable, with her mobile phones switched off, and they continue to await direct communication regarding her status and expected return,” the statement added.
Karua is part of the legal team representing Besigye, a longtime critic of President Yoweri Museveni’s government, who faces treason-related charges in Uganda. She has been involved in the case since 2024 and has been appearing before Ugandan courts under a valid practising certificate issued in the country.
The detention comes amid heightened scrutiny of Uganda’s handling of opposition figures and their legal representatives. Besigye and Lutale are accused in a high-profile treason case that has attracted regional and international attention.
The statement also linked Karua’s visit to the recent arrest of Kampala politician and lawyer Erias Lukwago, who serves as co-lead counsel in Besigye’s defence team.
Lukwago was arrested earlier this month and later charged with misprision of treason, a charge involving the alleged concealment of knowledge of a treasonous plot.
“Karua, who has been actively involved in Dr Kizza Besigye’s case since his abduction in Nairobi on November 16, 2024, has continued to lead his defence under a valid legal practising certificate issued in Uganda,” her office said.
Neither Ugandan immigration authorities nor the government had issued an official explanation for Karua’s detention by Sunday afternoon.
The incident is likely to raise diplomatic and legal questions within the East African Community, where freedom of movement and cross-border legal cooperation are key pillars of regional integration.
Karua is expected to return to Nairobi once the situation is resolved, although her whereabouts and condition remained unclear at the time of publication.
