Deputy President William Ruto has faulted the Jubilee administration led by President Uhuru Kenyatta for blocking lawyer Miguna Miguna from entering Kenya.
The Canada-based barrister has been unable to return home since 2018 due to ‘red alerts’ issued by Kenyan authorities despite several court orders in his favour.
But speaking during an Interview with BMJ Muriithi of Voice of America (VOA) on Saturday, Ruto, a Kenya Kwanza coalition leader and presidential aspirant in the August polls, said Miguna has every right to return home, affirming that his government would lift the ‘red alerts’.
“Huyo Miguna Miguna tutamrejesha nyumbani mara moja. Kwa sababu ni Mkenya…hana hatia. Na ata kama ako na hatia aletwe nyumbani kuna sheria ambayo atakabiliana nayo. Mimi sioni haja ya kuwa na wakimbizi kutoka nchi zingine Kenya na tuko na mmoja wetu Mkenya amefanywa mkimbizi kule Canada,” he said in Washington DC during his trip to the US.
Loosely translated, “If I become President I would bring Miguna Miguna home without hesitation. Miguna is a Kenyan citizen. He has done nothing wrong to warrant his current predicaments. And even if he had done something wrong let him face the law at home. I don’t see a reason why we are keen to block Miguna from his homeland yet we accommodate foreigners as refugees in our country.”
Also Read: Miguna “Denied” Emergency Travel Document By Kenyan Embassy in Berlin
Miguna welcomed the remarks on his social media pages but said the DP should have condemned the human rights abuses and disobedience of court orders by the government.
“Mr. BMJ Muriithi: A good question, which William Samoei Ruto answered correctly. But he must go farther: condemn human rights abuses, constitutional violations and disobedience of court orders,” said Miguna.
Miguna’s passport was seized in February 2018 following his deportation to Canada for presiding over ODM leader Raila Odinga’s oath as the people’s president.
Justice Chacha Mwita later in December 2018 ruled that Miguna’s deportation was illegal and ordered authorities to return his passport. It later emerged that the passport had been perforated.
Also Read: Miguna Wants Monetary Compensation As He Sues CS Omamo Over Aborted Trip
Immigration Services Director General Alexendar Muteshi maintains that Miguna must apply for a new passport, arguing it is a statutory requirement under section 28 (1) of the Kenya Citizenship and immigration act in Kenya.
In November last year, he was denied an emergency travel document in Berlin, Germany, as ordered by the courts in Kenya after refusing to fill out some forms. He said doing so would mean that he had renounced his Kenyan citizenship when he acquired dual citizenship as alleged.
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