It is a victory for Narc-Kenya Party leader Martha Karua after the Ugandan Law Council handed the politician-cum-lawyer a temporary practicing certificate on Ugandan jurisdiction.

This is after the Law Council convened a special meeting on Monday, January 6, to reconsider her application after it was initially rejected on December 6, 2024. 

The approval means that Karua can now represent Uganda’s opposition leader Kizza Besigye in an ongoing case in Uganda’s Court Martial.

“The Law Council has granted a temporary Practicing Certificate to Hon. Martha Karua, following her reapplication through the Uganda Law Society,” the law society's statement read in part.

Following the granting of the practicing certificate, Karua will be able to represent her clients on the Ugandan soil in court effectively starting January 7, 2025.

To practice in Uganda, Karua was required to lodge a formal application since she is from a different legal jurisdiction. According to Section 18 of the Advocates Act in Uganda, for a lawyer from a different jurisdiction to practice in the country, they must be from a Commonwealth country, apply for a temporary practising certificate, and be attached to a law firm in Uganda.

The Uganda Law Council had earlier blocked Karua from representing Besigye where she was expected to lead a 50-member legal team including representatives from the Pan-African Lawyers Union and the International Commission of Jurists.

The Council cited procedural grounds, the absence of notarised copies of her practising certificate, and a letter of good standing from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) among other documents as reasons to decline her application.

In response to the initial rejection, Karua resubmitted her application along with support from the Uganda Law Society for a temporary practicing certificate on December 23 last year. 

Karua’s application attracted considerable attention because she was seeking to represent Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya who are facing serious charges related to illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. The two were arrested in Nairobi by Uganda's security personnel.

Besigye’s case drew significant attention, both regionally and internationally, as concerns over political freedoms and judicial processes in East Africa come under scrutiny. By Joe Macharia, Kenyans.co.ke