Former Kenyan justice minister blocked from entering Uganda, lawyers' body says

Martha Karua is a lawyer representing detained Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye who is on trial for treason. Martha Karua: Kenya's ex-justice minister blocked from entering Uganda, lawyers body says Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. No reason was given for blocking Martha Karua's entry to Uganda Martha Karua in a black lawyer robe and glasses makes her submission during a court session in Kampala Former Kenyan justice minister blocked from entering Uganda, lawyers' body says Leading Kenyan lawyer and former Justice Minister Martha Karua has been blocked from entering Uganda and ordered to return home, according to the Uganda Law Society. Karua had just arrived at the Entebbe airport to join a team defending her Ugandan lawyer colleague Erias Lukwago, with whom they have been representing detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who is on trial for treason. Lukwago was himself charged with a treason-related offence last week, and his bail hearing had been due on Monday. charged with a treason-related offence last week , and his bail hearing had been due on Monday. Ugandan authorities did not give a reason for blocking Karua, although Kenya's Law Society President Charles Kanjama, who had travelled with her, was allowed in. Kanjama said it was "of particular concern" that Karua was blocked, despite her travelling "for the same matter and in the same professional capacity" as himself. "It is difficult to understand why one member of a defence team should be admitted while another is turned away," he said in a post on X, while calling on Ugandan authorities to explain their actions. Uganda's immigration authorities have not responded to the BBC's request for comment. Lukwago appeared in court last Wednesday looking weak days after he had been arrested at his home. He denied charges of failing to report treason relating to Besigye's case and was remanded in prison. Besigye has been jailed on treason charges since being abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024. His abduction, alongside that of his aide Obeid Lutale, sparked intense regional debate over legal jurisdiction and human rights. Karua faced several hurdles before she was eventually cleared to represent Besigye - including her initial application to practise as a lawyer in Uganda being rejected. She was also deported from Tanzania last year to prevent her from attending the court case of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who also faces treason charges. Erias Lukwago, in a navy blue jacket and white shirt appears in the dock Lawyer in high-profile Ugandan treason case charged with related offence A Kenya police officers, in camouflage uniform, hits a fleeing protester, wearing a red hat, with a baton during a protest. Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent? Martha Karua speaks to journalists in Kenya after her deportation on 18 May 2025 Kenya's ex-justice minister 'deported' from Tanzania A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica An outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo involves a rare species of the virus and is in an area affected by conflict. Abiy Ahmed's party retains its huge majority despite unrest in several parts of Ethiopia and tensions with its neighbours. The leaders have asked for apologies from the countries that benefited from the slave trade, as well as debt relief and financial compensation. Uganda's military chief had boasted of "the hurt and pain" he would inflict on Erias Lukwago, who was arrested earlier this week. Sylvester Muigai Ndung'u was in Nanyuki to fetch a school uniform on Tuesday, his mother says. Protesters are concerned about cross-border infection risks and the lack of transparency from the government about the treatment centre. The decision weakens Rigathi Gachagua's bid for the presidency, although his lawyers have vowed to challenge the ruling. Activists allege there is a plan to build a car park on protected land belonging to a wildlife sanctuary.