NAIROBI, Kenya- The whereabouts of Kenyan lawyer and opposition leader Martha Karua remained unclear on Monday after reports emerged that she had been stopped from entering Uganda, where she was expected to participate in the legal defence of detained Ugandan opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye.
A source within a regional human rights organisation told Y News that Karua was prevented from proceeding into Uganda, although the circumstances surrounding the incident remained unclear.
Efforts to independently verify her location were ongoing by the time of publication.
Karua has been part of Besigye’s legal team and has been actively involved in efforts to challenge what rights groups describe as shrinking civic and political freedoms in Uganda.
The reported incident comes amid growing concern over the treatment of lawyers representing Besigye and other opposition figures.
Last week, prominent Ugandan lawyer Erias Lukwago, who is representing Besigye in an ongoing treason case, was arrested by security forces before later being charged with a treason-related offence known as “misprision of treason”, which involves allegedly failing to report treasonous activities.
Lukwago denied the charges in court and was remanded in custody.
According to Uganda’s opposition People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), Lukwago was taken by security operatives from his home before his arrest.
Opposition leaders and human rights groups have condemned the move, describing it as an attack on the legal profession and the right to a fair trial.
Besigye, a longtime critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, is facing treason charges that his supporters say are politically motivated.
The veteran opposition leader has been at the centre of a prolonged legal battle that has drawn attention from rights organisations across East Africa.
Karua, who has previously represented opposition figures in both Uganda and Tanzania, has repeatedly raised concerns about the rule of law and judicial independence in the region.
She recently petitioned Ugandan authorities over the arrest and prosecution of Lukwago, warning of what she described as a deteriorating legal environment.
Neither Ugandan immigration authorities nor Karua’s legal team have issued an official statement on her reported denial of entry by the time of publication.
