The making of EAC friction after Martha Karua is deported from Uganda

Martha Karua making her remarks during the State of the Nation address at Ufungamano House, Nairobi, on June 16, 2026. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Tension in the East African region escalated sharply yesterday after veteran Kenyan lawyer and opposition leader Martha Karua was denied entry into Uganda and ordered to return to Nairobi.

Karua, a senior counsel and former Justice Minister, arrived at Entebbe International Airport aboard a Kenya Airways flight alongside Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Charles Kanjama. The delegation had travelled to Kampala to attend the bail hearing of Erias Lukwago, who represents the country’s opposition figure Kizza Besigye.