Karua granted temporary certificate to represent Besigye

The Ugandan Law Council has temporarily given lawyer Martha Karua a practicing certificate to represent opposition leader Kizza Besigye in court.

Karua will represent the opposition leaders Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale before the General Court Martial tomorrow.

“The Law Council has granted a temporary Practicing Certificate to Hon.Martha Karua, following her reapplication through the Uganda Law Society, as directed by our President, Isaac Ssemakadde,” stated the Uganda Law Society.
She will be allowed to represent Besigye and Lutale from January 7, who were abducted in Nairobi, Kenya.

The two were abducted in Kenya in November and taken back to Uganda and charged with unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

The council reconsidered her application after it was initially rejected on December 6, 2024.

Initially, Karua was to lead a 50-member legal team including representatives from the Pan-African Lawyers Union and the International Commission of Jurists.

The Council rejected her application citing 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.

Besigye’s case drew attention, both regionally and internationally amidst growing cases of abductions in Kenya.