Miguna Miguna reacts after the Immigration department denied him entry
into the country without a Kenyan visa at the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport on March 26, 2018, in Nairobi. PHOTO |
SIMON MAINA | AFP
The government has rejected lawyer Miguna Miguna’s highly
anticipated return to the country and attempted to re-deport him to
Canada after a nine-hour stand-off at Jomo Kenyatta International
Airport.
Airport.
But Mr Miguna refused to
board the Dubai-bound Emirates flight, triggering probably the most
dramatic scenes ever witnessed at JKIA in recent days.
“I
am not going anywhere….where is my luggage? Where is my passport? You
cannot take me from my country by force,” he remonstrated as the
commotion delayed Flight EK 722 bound for Dubai.
So
violent were the scenes that the pilot of the plane took off without Mr
Miguna, who disembarked and vowed to fight for his rights.
The
late night drama was the culmination of a nine-hour impasse that
started after Mr Miguna's flight EK 719 touched down at the airport at
about 2.30pm on Monday.
UNDERCOVER POLICE
Mr Miguna had been forcibly whisked to the
aircraft by a contingent of police officers in full view of ODM leader
Raila Odinga and his lawyers John Khaminwa, Cliff Ombeta and Julie
Soweto.
At least 40 undercover police executed the operation.
Another group of officers laid siege at the airport and beat up journalists to scare them from capturing the drama.
Dr Miguna was grabbed and literally carried to the aircraft that had been delayed for the purpose.
NTV
cameraman Robert Gichira was injured after a General Service Unit
officer clubbed him several times as he ran away with his camera.
The officer pursued and kicked the journalist several times before screams from other journalists scared him away.
Also to be beaten was Citizen TV reporter Stephen Letoo as he delivered a live link of the drama at the airport.
Mr Letoo, who complained of abdominal pains, was later taken to hospital.
BANANA REPUBLIC
“It
is a shame that this kind of thing is happening in this country. The
fact that we can have this kind of mobilisation at an international
airport shows that we are a banana republic,” Mr Orengo told the media
before his press briefing was interrupted by the police who threatened
to shoot him if he did not stop.
The
government had labelled the lawyer an undocumented passenger after he
failed to surrender his Canadian passport as immigration officials had
demanded to facilitate his entry.
The Kenya
National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) vice chair George Morara
said that the immigration department should have complied with the order
in full to avoid the standoff.
The
High Court’s order required the immigration department to facilitate Mr
Miguna's return by issuing travel documents and air ticket.
KNCHR was mandated to ensure that the court orders were complied with.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Mwenda Njoka said Mr Miguna was not denied entry into the country.
“He (Miguna) declined to present his travel documents as required by international Air Transport Association,” he said.
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