Kenya Lawyer and the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader, Martha Karua, was denied entry into Uganda upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, Kampala, on Monday morning.
The Ugandan Law Society (ULS) confirmed the developments on June 22, stating that immigration officials prevented the Senior Counsel from entering the country and directed her to return to Kenya immediately, without providing any explanation.
“Dr Kiza Besigye’s and Obeid Lutale’s lead counsel, Hon. Martha Karua, SC, denied entry at Entebbe International Airport. She has been ordered to return without being given a reason,” stated ULS.
Besigye has remained in pre-trial detention at Luzira Maximum Security Prison since November 2024, following his abduction in Nairobi, Kenya, and forceful rendition to Uganda, where he faces treason, treachery, and illegal firearms possession charges.
Lukwago, a prominent attorney, was remanded to Luzira Prison the previous week after the state alleged he withheld information about an alleged treasonous plot linked to veteran Ugandan opposition politician Besigye.
He was seized from his Wakaliga home by armed men in military uniforms on June 15, as he attempted to serve court papers to Chief of Defense Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
He was held incommunicado for 48 hours in an unregistered military facility, with Gen Muhoozi publicly posting photos showing Lukwago blindfolded, before military forces transferred him to Kira Road Police Station on June 17.
Lukwago subsequently appeared before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court, where he was charged with misprision of treason for allegedly concealing knowledge of a plot involving opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye between 2021 and 2024, and was remanded to Murchison Bay Prison in Luzira.
Karua has faced multiple instances where she was barred from entering or appearing in court to represent Besigye.
In December 2024, the Uganda Law Council (ULC) repeatedly denied Karua a temporary practicing certificate, leading to her and her legal team being denied an audience in Besigye’s initial military court.
The Council cited procedural grounds, missing notarised documents from the LSK, and later claimed the application appeared “politically motivated” rather than purely professional. She was eventually granted temporary clearance in early 2025 following a successful appeal.
