Senior Counsel Martha Karua, the lead lawyer representing Dr Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Hajji Obeid Lutale, has asked the High Court Criminal Division in Kampala to intervene over her recent deportation from Uganda.
Karua argues that her deportation and subsequent exclusion from representing Dr Besigye and Lutale undermine their constitutional right to a fair hearing.
In an affidavit filed before the High Court, Karua says she was denied entry into Uganda on June 22, 2026, despite holding a Special Practising Certificate issued by the Uganda Law Council authorising her to appear before Ugandan courts.
The affidavit supports an application arising from the treason case involving Dr Besigye, Lutale and UPDF Captain Denis Oola, as well as an earlier application in which Dr. Besigye and Lutale accuse the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, of unlawfully deporting Karua. Dr Besigye has also petitioned the court, alleging that he has received death threats from Gen Kainerugaba.
Karua says she has led the defence team for Dr Besigye and Lutale since November 2024. She states that on June 11, Justice Emmanuel Baguma scheduled the application for hearing on June 30 and directed the respondents, including Gen Kainerugaba, to file their responses.
According to Karua, she travelled to Uganda on June 22 aboard a Kenya Airways flight, accompanied by two colleagues, including the President of the Law Society of Kenya, to attend court proceedings involving her clients and matters affecting members of the defence team.
By Edith Namwanje
3rd July 2026
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