Lawyer Maria Mbeneka, who is also a candidate for the position of the President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), has called on the government to respect court orders and allow lawyer Miguna Miguna back into the country.
Speaking on K24 Television, Mbeneka says the court orders on the return of of the embattled lawyer were clear and stated that the government was to facilitate his return “unconditionally.”
“When Miguna Miguna was deported in 2018, he fought back and won. He was actually awarded damages,” said Maria, “Court orders must be respected.”
The tough-talking Miguna Miguna was to arrive in the country on January 7, but was barred from leaving Berlin Airport after Lufthansa Airline received a “red alert from Nairobi.”
Miguna Miguna was then booked to fly Air France but was ejected off the plane a few minutes before it took off over the same “red alert” that had been issued to Lufthansa Airline.
“His lawyers have obtained other court orders stating that Miguna will be met by his lawyers and officials of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission so that they can give him his passport,” Maria opined.
A day before the scheduled arrival of Miguna Miguna, the Ministry of Interior and Government Coordination had issued a statement saying that it would respect the court orders issued in 2018 and facilitate the second coming of Miguna Miguna.
“Whether or no there is a red alert, you have a court order that says that his return is unconditional…. He should be allowed to come back into the country,” she added.
According to Maria Mbeneka, the government refusing to honour court orders demeans the judiciary and shows how upholding the rule of law is being disregarded.
“If someone has a court order, that court order should be respected. It is actually very sad that if you look at any system and you decide where the weakest link is, and in this scenario you decide that the weakest link is the judiciary, you are setting up a chain reaction that will take a very long time for you to recover,” she said.
Maria Mbeneka is among four other candidates for the position of the President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) where if elected, she hopes to steer the Society towards strengthening its voice in matters of upholding the rule of law.