NAIROBI, Kenya — Uganda’s military chief and presidential adviser, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has publicly claimed responsibility for the decision to deny entry to Kenyan politician and lawyer Martha Karua, escalating a diplomatic and political row that has drawn attention across East Africa.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Muhoozi said he personally ordered Karua’s deportation from Uganda and defended the move, urging the public not to blame his father, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
“Do not blame my great father for this decision. I deported her myself. She’s no longer allowed in our country,” Muhoozi wrote.
Karua, the leader of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), was denied entry upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport on Sunday while travelling to Kampala for legal work reportedly linked to opposition-related court proceedings.
The incident has sparked criticism from opposition figures, legal practitioners, and civil society groups within the East African region, with questions being raised about freedom of movement, regional cooperation, and the treatment of lawyers involved in politically sensitive cases.
Speaking after returning to Nairobi, Karua accused Ugandan immigration officers of unlawfully confiscating her mobile phones during her detention at the airport.
She alleged that officers seized her first phone shortly after she was informed she would not be allowed into the country. According to Karua, a second phone was also taken while she remained under immigration custody.
“I asked the Principal Immigration Officer why he was allowing his officers to behave like bullies and snatch my phones,” she said.
Karua claimed the devices remained in the custody of Ugandan officials for approximately three and a half hours before an officer attempted to return them as she boarded a flight back to Kenya.
However, she declined to receive the phones, arguing that she could not be certain whether information stored on them had been accessed or copied.
“They stayed with my phones for three and a half hours. I knew they had already mined information from my phone. I also don’t know what they may have put on the phones,” she said.
The former Justice Minister and Senior Counsel has indicated that she intends to institute legal proceedings against Ugandan immigration authorities over the incident.
The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of political freedoms and opposition-related legal proceedings in Uganda.
Karua has in recent years been involved in regional human rights advocacy and legal representation in cases involving opposition figures across East Africa.
