Karua finally cleared to represent Besigye at Uganda military court

The Uganda Law Council has rescinded its earlier decision and granted Senior Counsel Martha Karua a temporary practicing certificate to enable her represent veteran opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye and his aide, Hajj Obeid Lutale, in the country's military court. 

Dr Besigye and Hajj Lutale are expected to return to the General Court Martial in Kampala tomorrow after spending weeks in prison where they were remanded following their abduction from Nairobi in November last year.

Initially, the Council had rejected her request after claiming that the former Kenyan Justice Minister’s application lacked proper documentation and was politically motivated.

Sources privy to the matter said the U-turn followed both internal and external pressures as lawyers, human rights activists and politicians debated Uganda’s justice system.

The Council, chaired by Court of Appeal justice Irene Mulyagonja, had also argued that there was nothing new that Ms Karua, an opposition stalwart in Kenya, would add to the Uganda’s four-time presidential contender’s legal team.

"After global banging of the table, the government of Uganda has understood that these decisions have consequences. The legal profession is not a Ugandan creation; it's guided by international principles that must be followed...Today's decision means Uganda is free and safe for foreign professionals to come and practise law as guided by our local laws. We thank the Council for having a change of mind," rights defender Isaac Ssemakadde told journalists in Kampala.

With the practising certificate in hands, Ms Karua will now need to file it with the General Court Martial based in Makindye, Kampala, to be able to lead Dr Besigye's 40-man legal team tomorrow.

Dr Besigye and Hajj Lutale face charges related to security, and being in unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.