NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 22 — The Senior Counsel Bar (SCB) has demanded the immediate release of lawyer Martha Karua, following her reported detention by Ugandan authorities at Entebbe International Airport and alleged denial of access to legal counsel, family, and consular support.

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SCB Chairperson Philip Murgor SC, condemned the detention of Karua, saying she was being held incommunicado pending what it described as an unlawful deportation process.

Karua SC had travelled to Uganda to attend court proceedings involving Kampala Lord Mayor and defence lawyer Erias Lukwago, according to the statement.

LSK, EALS demand answers after Uganda denies Martha Karua entry

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The SCB said the detention at Entebbe International Airport amounted to a direct interference with the administration of justice.

“To detain an advocate at the Entebbe International Airport to prevent her as an advocate from attending to her client is a direct assault on the administration of justice in Uganda, and the entire East African Region,” the statement said.

The body said Karua had been denied access to counsel, the defence team, and her family, describing the situation as a violation of fundamental rights and due process guarantees.

It further raised concern over what it termed “incommunicado detention” and the threatened deportation, calling for immediate cessation of the process and unimpeded access to Karua by her lawyers, family, and the Kenyan diplomatic mission.

The SCB also urged urgent diplomatic intervention by Kenya and international partners, citing concerns over denial of consular access and protections under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

The lawyers’ body said Karua’s detention violated constitutional guarantees on liberty and fair hearing, protections against inhuman treatment, and obligations under the East African Community Treaty on free movement of persons, rule of law, and good governance.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya