Kenya deports Miguna Miguna, again

March 29, 2018

Dr Miguna Miguna in the "toilet" cell he spent 72 hours at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi before he was deported on March 28, 2018. PHOTO | COURTESY.

Lawyer Miguna Miguna has been deported, again, despite a court order directing the government to release him from detention at Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi.

The fiery lawyer and National Super Alliance (Nasa) activist was ejected on Wednesday evening after spending more than 72 hours in a tiny room he described as a “toilet” near Terminal 2.

ATTACKED

One of his lawyers, Mr Nelson Havi, said Dr Miguna was taken out of Kenya via a Dubai-bound EK722 flight.

Lawyer Cliff Ombeta, who also represented Dr Miguna, confirmed that his client was deported to Dubai.

He alleged that Dr Miguna “was sedated, handcuffed and taken away”.

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Dr Miguna Miguna’s court that was allegedly torn as police roughed him up. PHOTO | COURTESY.

The Nation could not immediately confirm that allegation because the airport was on police lockdown on Wednesday night, with police in full combat gear attacking journalists and lawyers who attempted to access Dr Miguna.

The lawyers had gone to the airport to serve court orders directing his release when they were roughed up.

Some sources claimed the exit Dr Miguna, the self-declared ‘general’ of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), a wing of the Nasa that was formed to champion resistance against products of firms deemed friendly and financiers of Jubilee government, was facilitated by Canada.

“Canada was strict on flying rules which he obeyed,” the source told the Nation.

‘JAIL’

The lawyer holds Canadian citizenship and has denied government claims that he acquired it after ceasing to be a Kenyan in 1998.

Dr Miguna, who ran for Nairobi governorship in Kenya’s August 8, 2017 General Election and has two homes, one in the capital and the other in Nyando, Kisumu County, insists he is a Kenyan by birth.

Flight EK722 was destined for United Arab Emirate (UAE), a country Dr Miguna flatly rejected to be flown to on Monday night.

Earlier Wednesday, High Court Judge George Odunga had ordered Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, Immigration chief Gordon Kihalang’wa and Police boss Joseph Boinnet to release the lawyer from detention at JKIA, an order they defied.

“The three are hereby convicted accordingly and should appear before this court tomorrow at 10am,” Justice Odunga ruled.

Judge Odunga criticised the three officials for disobeying the court with impunity.

In their defence, two junior State lawyers claimed the trio were unreachable because they were attending a General Service Unit graduation.

Reported by Fred Mukinda, Leopold Obbi and Harry Misiko.