People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader and Senior Counsel Martha Karua has detailed an incident at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

This comes after she was denied entry after initially being cleared by immigration officials.

Karua had travelled to Uganda to observe court proceedings involving Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and to offer moral support in a case linked to opposition figures Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale.

Karua said she arrived at Entebbe Airport at 8:50 a.m. aboard a Kenya Airways flight and was processed normally before being informed that a note had been issued requiring denial of entry.

She was later directed to different officers, including the principal immigration officer, who confirmed that instructions had been received to deny her entry.

She said officials instructed her to fill out a form, which she declined, asking for the legal basis of her detention. Karua stated that she was not informed of any specific law she had breached and was told that officers were acting on instructions.

“Then two officers come, I suppose junior immigration police officers. They take me to a side office and give me a form to fill. “I declined to fill and told them we need to begin by them telling me why I’m being held, and I had already been allowed entry,” Karua detailed.

Sequence of events at Entebbe Airport

Karua described being escorted to a side office by junior immigration officers, where she was again asked to complete a form. She refused, stating that the requested information was already contained in her passport and requesting clarification under Ugandan law.

She claimed that during the process, one officer forcibly took her phone while she was attempting to communicate with contacts in Nairobi. She further stated that a second phone was later taken after officers observed her using it. Karua said she raised concerns that the devices were being accessed for unspecified purposes.

The situation escalated into a standoff before she was taken back to the principal immigration officer, who cited “security” as the reason for both the denial of entry and confiscation of her phones. She said no written explanation or formal deportation order was provided.

Karua was later moved toward a holding area but requested to wait in the Kenya Airways lounge under her membership privileges. The airline manager was reportedly instructed to retain her passport until boarding. She later returned to Nairobi on a Kenya Airways flight.

Legal purpose of travel and response

Karua clarified that her visit was to observe court proceedings and provide moral support, not to act as legal counsel in the case. She stated that her practising licence applies only to Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale.

Following her return, Karua expressed appreciation for messages of support from political leaders, legal bodies, civil society organisations, family, and friends. She said solidarity demonstrated collective responsibility in the defence of justice.

The East Africa Law Society criticised the incident, citing concerns over compliance with regional protocols governing freedom of movement. Former Chief Justice David Maraga called for diplomatic engagement between Kenya and Uganda regarding the matter.

Karua said the incident raises broader questions on cross-border legal practice and movement within the East African Community. She reaffirmed her commitment to judicial accountability and regional cooperation, stating that efforts to protect justice and human dignity must continue.