Former Chief Justice and United Green Movement (UGM) Party presidential flagbearer David Maraga has condemned the detention and deportation of Senior Counsel Martha Karua by Ugandan authorities, describing the incident as unlawful and a violation of fundamental rights.

In a statement issued on Monday, June 22, 2026, Maraga said Karua was intercepted upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, held incommunicado and later deported. He stated that she was denied access to her family, legal counsel and diplomatic representatives.

This comes after Karua had travelled to Uganda to attend court proceedings involving Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and to support the legal defence team representing opposition figure Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale.

“Her only ‘offense’ was traveling to Uganda to fulfill her professional and moral duty: providing legal solidarity at the bail ruling of Hon. Eras Lukwago and supporting the defense team of Col. (Rtd.) Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale,” Maraga stated.

Concerns over regional governance

Maraga linked the incident to wider concerns about governance and political freedoms within the East African Community (EAC).

He referenced statements by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba and reiterated concerns he had raised in an earlier statement regarding democratic governance and the treatment of dissenting voices within the region.

“We condemn this unconscionable assault on the administration of justice in the strongest terms. The continuous regression into tyranny within our region cannot be tolerated,” he stated.

Maraga further urged East Africans to safeguard the principles contained in the EAC Treaty, including governance, human rights and the free movement of persons across member states.

Calls for diplomatic response from Kenya

The former Chief Justice also called on the Kenyan government to take up the matter through diplomatic channels.

He urged President William Ruto and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to seek an explanation from Ugandan authorities regarding Karua’s treatment.

Maraga specifically called for the summoning of Uganda’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Ambassador Eunice Kigenyi, to address the matter and provide assurances against similar incidents in the future.

“The Jumuiya will not watch in silence as the region plunges back into the dark ages of autocratic terror,” he said.

The incident has attracted attention from legal and political actors in the region, with Karua later confirming that she had returned to Nairobi. The matter has also renewed discussion on cross-border legal practice, regional cooperation and the protection of rights within the East African Community.