Kenya deports lawyer allied to opposition

NAIROBI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government's crackdown on opposition leaders after inauguration of Raila Odinga as "people's president" intensified on Tuesday night when it deported lawyer Miguna Miguna to Canada a few hours after the High Court ordered that he be set free or produced in court on Wednesday.

Miguna's lawyer Nelson Havi confirmed on Tuesday night that his client was put into a KLM flight departing Nairobi for Amsterdam minutes to 10 pm.

"We are reliably informed that Miguna Miguna has been forced into a KLM flight for 'deportation' to Canada. Now, how do you deport a Kenyan? This country has been overrun by criminals," Havi said on Twitter.

Before departure, Miguna said he will fight the heinous violation of his rights by the Jubilee government. "The despots have put me in a flight to Amsterdam en route to Toronto, departure time right now."

"Instead of taking me to court as ordered repeatedly by the courts, they seized my passports and drove me to the runaway at the JKIA from 6pm up to now," Miguna tweeted moments before he left JKIA.

However, Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka who confirmed the deportation, said Miguna had denounced his Kenyan citizenship years back, acquired Canadian citizenship and never reclaimed his Kenyan citizenship in the legally prescribed manner.

It is not clear what law the government used to exile him from Kenya as the Constitution guarantees him citizenship since he is Kenyan by birth.

Miguna contested for governorship seat for Nairobi County in the concluded 2017 elections and he must have produced documents to show he is a Kenyan.

His problems began when he stamped documents used for Nasa leader Raila Odinga's self-inauguration as the "people's president" in Nairobi on Jan. 30.

He was there with leaders including Ruaraka lawmaker Tom Kajwang, who administered the oath. Miguna was arrested last Friday in connection with the "swearing-in" of Nasa leader Raila Odinga.

Lawyer Donald Kipkorir also protested the deportation saying the move had violated the constitution.

Meanwhile, the Department of Immigration Services has suspended passports belonging to a section of National Super Alliance (NASA) leaders.

Among those affected are Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, Siaya Senator James Orengo, businessman Jimi Wanjigi and NASA strategist David Ndii.

The immigration authorities asked the affected persons to surrender their passports within 21 days following the notice. Enditem