KAMPALA, Uganda – Martha Karua, Kenya’s former justice minister and lead counsel in opposition leader Kizza Besigye’s case, has accused the Ugandan Law Council of unfairly rejecting her temporary license to practice law in Uganda.
Karua revealed on Monday that her application was declined in a December 6 letter citing non-notarized documents, including her Kenyan practising certificate and a letter of good standing from the Law Society of Kenya.
The council also claimed Karua had failed to submit her nationality documents and academic qualifications, concerns it raised about fellow lawyer Erias Lukwago as well.
Lukwago, who serves as the Lord Mayor of Kampala, is part of Besigye’s defense team, along with Karua and a 50-member legal bench that includes representatives from the Pan-African Lawyers Union and the International Commission of Jurists.
In a pointed response shared on her social media, Karua dismissed the council’s reasoning, arguing it could have requested additional documentation rather than using the omissions as grounds for rejection.
“Rather than use these as reasons to decline my application, one would expect that the law council would have asked for whatever additional documents that it desired,” Karua wrote.
She also criticized the council for questioning whether she brought “any special skill” to the case, saying it was Besigye’s constitutional right to appoint counsel of his choosing, including lead lawyers from outside Uganda.
The Ugandan Law Council further accused Karua of misrepresenting herself as a qualified lawyer in the country when she attended a December 2 court martial hearing for Besigye.
Karua, however, rejected the claim, saying Lukwago had introduced her to the court and clarified that she was awaiting approval of her temporary license.
“It was on this basis that an adjournment was granted to the 10th of December,” Karua explained, calling the council’s accusation an “unmerited attack” on her integrity and impartiality.
Karua warned that the council’s tone and treatment undermined regional cooperation within the East African Community (EAC).
“Your disparaging and personalized aspersions on my person and character, as well as the importation of extraneous matters, is regrettable and undermines the spirit of Jumuiya,” she added, using the Swahili term for regional unity.
The legal tussle comes amid an ongoing case that critics have called politically motivated.
Besigye and his co-accused, Hajj Obeid Lutale, were abducted on November 16 in Nairobi by Ugandan security agents and transported across the border.
At the time, Besigye had been in Kenya as a guest at the launch of Karua’s memoir Against the Tide.
The duo has been detained since November 20 and faces charges of illegal firearm possession, including two pistols and eight rounds of ammunition, and other security-related offenses.
Their December 2 court martial hearing was adjourned to December 10, partly to allow Karua to obtain a temporary practicing license.
However, with the Ugandan Law Council’s rejection, Karua’s role in the proceedings remains uncertain.
Karua revealed on Monday that her application was declined in a December 6 letter citing non-notarized documents, including her Kenyan practising certificate and a letter of good standing from the Law Society of Kenya.
The council also claimed Karua had failed to submit her nationality documents and academic qualifications, concerns it raised about fellow lawyer Erias Lukwago as well.
Lukwago, who serves as the Lord Mayor of Kampala, is part of Besigye’s defense team, along with Karua and a 50-member legal bench that includes representatives from the Pan-African Lawyers Union and the International Commission of Jurists.
In a pointed response shared on her social media, Karua dismissed the council’s reasoning, arguing it could have requested additional documentation rather than using the omissions as grounds for rejection.
“Rather than use these as reasons to decline my application, one would expect that the law council would have asked for whatever additional documents that it desired,” Karua wrote.
She also criticized the council for questioning whether she brought “any special skill” to the case, saying it was Besigye’s constitutional right to appoint counsel of his choosing, including lead lawyers from outside Uganda.
The Ugandan Law Council further accused Karua of misrepresenting herself as a qualified lawyer in the country when she attended a December 2 court martial hearing for Besigye.
Karua, however, rejected the claim, saying Lukwago had introduced her to the court and clarified that she was awaiting approval of her temporary license.
“It was on this basis that an adjournment was granted to the 10th of December,” Karua explained, calling the council’s accusation an “unmerited attack” on her integrity and impartiality.
Karua warned that the council’s tone and treatment undermined regional cooperation within the East African Community (EAC).
“Your disparaging and personalized aspersions on my person and character, as well as the importation of extraneous matters, is regrettable and undermines the spirit of Jumuiya,” she added, using the Swahili term for regional unity.
The legal tussle comes amid an ongoing case that critics have called politically motivated.
Besigye and his co-accused, Hajj Obeid Lutale, were abducted on November 16 in Nairobi by Ugandan security agents and transported across the border.
At the time, Besigye had been in Kenya as a guest at the launch of Karua’s memoir Against the Tide.
The duo has been detained since November 20 and faces charges of illegal firearm possession, including two pistols and eight rounds of ammunition, and other security-related offenses.
Their December 2 court martial hearing was adjourned to December 10, partly to allow Karua to obtain a temporary practicing license.
However, with the Ugandan Law Council’s rejection, Karua’s role in the proceedings remains uncertain.
