A former Kenyan cabinet minister was denied entry to Uganda this week in a move that the British High Court has branded an unlawful interference in regional affairs. Sources close to the matter confirm that John Michuki, who served as Kenya’s interior minister under President Mwai Kibaki, was detained at Entebbe International Airport on Tuesday and put on the next flight back to Nairobi. No official reason was given by Ugandan authorities, but leaked diplomatic cables suggest the expulsion was linked to Michuki’s recent testimony before a London court investigating money laundering by Ugandan officials.
The British High Court, in a ruling issued late Wednesday, found that Uganda’s actions violated the East African Community’s free movement protocols and constituted a “blatant attempt to silence a whistleblower.” The judgment, obtained by this newspaper, orders Uganda to pay legal costs and refers the matter to the African Union for possible sanctions. “This is a clear signal that the UK will not tolerate the intimidation of witnesses in ongoing corruption probes,” said a Foreign Office spokesperson.
Michuki, 72, had been in London for six weeks giving evidence in a case involving suspected laundering of £200 million through luxury property purchases in Mayfair and Chelsea. His testimony allegedly named several prominent Ugandan politicians and a former central bank governor. Hours before his deportation, a Ugandan intelligence officer was spotted leaving the Kenyan embassy in London, according to airport security logs.
The Kenyan government has remained silent, but a senior official speaking on condition of anonymity told me: “This is a mess. Michuki was a useful asset, but now he’s a liability. They’ll let him twist.” Indeed, no Kenyan diplomat met Michuki at JKIA upon his return. He was left to clear immigration alone, carrying a single suitcase.
Uganda’s foreign ministry denies any wrongdoing, claiming Michuki’s entry was refused due to “national security concerns.” But a leaked internal memo from the Ugandan Office of the President says otherwise: “He cannot be allowed to destabilise our economic partnerships.” The memo references Uganda’s growing financial ties with Chinese state banks, which have been under scrutiny for possible facilitation of corruption.
The High Court ruling has set off alarm bells across East Africa. Regional human rights groups are calling for an emergency summit. “If a former minister can be deported for telling the truth, what hope for ordinary citizens?” asked a Nairobi-based activist.
For Michuki, the stakes are personal. His family fled Kenya in the 1990s after death threats linked to his anti-corruption work. Now, at 72, he faces the prospect of a third exile. As I left his hotel in Nairobi, he said only: “They think they can stop the truth. They are wrong.”
