Photo: AP / Ben Curtis
Embattled Kenyan politician Miguna Miguna won a small victory on Tuesday night when the High Court ordered for his immediate release from being held at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, according to The Standard Media.
Justice Roseline Aburili also directed Miguna to appear in court this morning after his lawyers filed a lawsuit to order the government to allow him to re-enter the country after being deported several weeks ago.
“The petitioner who is being held incommunicado at JKIA be forthwith released to appear before this court on March 28 for inter-parties mention of this application at 9 a.m. before the duty judge,” ruled Ms. Aburili.
Miguna's lawyers, John Khaminwa and Nelson Havi, also said that government was detaining him inside of a lavatory at the airport in order to declare him a stateless person and block his entry into the country.
The standoff is likely to continue in order to grant Miguna free access to his native country.
Miguna is a dual citizen and was stripped of his Kenyan passport before he was forced to depart the country on Feb. 6, so he is currently traveling on a passport from Canada, where he also holds citizenship.
On his arrival Monday afternoon at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, authorities denied Miguna entry even though he was carrying a copy of the court order.
Miguna was detained by immigration officials who then escalated the situation by trying to place him on a flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but Miguna refused to take a seat on the plane, clinging to the doors of the aircraft before it had to leave without him for more than an hour.
Some journalists who were trying to cover the story said that security officials had roughed them up.
A family member said that Miguna was being held without any ability to contact the outside world at the airport and that he had also not eaten in 24 hours while he was being detained, according to his lawyers.
Miguna was deported just days after swearing in opposition leader Raila Odinga as "the people's president" at a mock inauguration which was held in protest of the contentious two elections to determine Kenya's president last year after the first round of voting in August was found to be invalid.
Miguna is the self-proclaimed leader of the National Resistance Movement.
Odinga attempted to visit the airport in his motorcade on Monday to try and obtain Miguna's release from the security officials.
Odinga met with President Uhuru Kenyatta earlier in March and promised to reconcile and work together to repair the political differences that have led to violence and unrest in the country.
Miguna has previously said that he was intending to "lead a revolutionary movement" and that he wanted to eventually replace Kenyatta and Odinga.
-WN.com, Maureen Foody