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Drama as Miguna resists attempt at JKIA to deport him again

But Miguna, through the small opening of the door decided to address journalists amid chants by supporters/JOSEPH MURAYA

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 27 – The fate of Miguna, the self-declared General of the outlawed National Resistance Movement remains unclear, after he refused to board an Emirates flight on a second deportation.

Miguna was whisked away by a contingent of plain clothed police officers in the presence of Senate Minority Leader James Orengo, his lawyers Cliff Ombeta and Nelson Havi.

NASA leader Raila Odinga was also within the airport precincts when Miguna was taken to the departing aircraft after he declined to surrender his Canadian passport.

– Chaos at the airport-

An armed squad of officers drawn from the dreaded General Service Unit were deployed at the International Arrivals terminal, where Miguna was being held as soon as Odinga arrived.

An agitated group of Miguna’s supporters by now were banging the door of the arrivals lounge demanding for his immediate release.

A pushover between uniformed police officers and bodyguards of the NASA leader could be seen as an agitated Miguna tried to force his way out.

A senior officer was seen being roughed up.

The youths were yelling, “open the door or we break through.” Others would be heard saying “respect Baba or we make a call.”

Calm only resumed after Odinga waved his hand towards the supporters urging them to be patient.

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But Miguna, through the small opening of the door decided to address journalists amid chants by supporters.

He vowed that he will only be deported “if I’m in a casket.”

READ: What next for returning NRM General after handshake?

-Journalists not spared –

The push and pull continued until GSU officers narrowed down on people milling around the entrance of the terminal and forcefully evicted them.

Journalists who were capturing the turn of events were not spared either.

As the battery of journalists, both local and international were fleeing to safety some sustained injuries while others had their equipment destroyed.

Citizen Television Reporter Steven Letoo and NTV photographer Robert Gichira sustained serious injuries in the scuffle.

-What transpired upon arrival-

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Miguna landed at the airport at 2.30pm on Monday but was denied entry after he declined to apply for a temporary six-month visa as demanded by authorities.

As such, the immigration officers were treating him as a Canadian citizen.

The authorities further asked him to surrender his Canadian passport, but he refused.

“I will not fall into their trap. If they really want, they can process a Kenyan passport in one minute. I know their mischief,” he said while citing the court order that directed for his unconditional entry to the country.

Officials from the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHCR) witnessed the drama that lasted for more than nine hours.

Orengo condemned the incident saying, “it is a shame for the country.”

“This will not be the end of the matter,” he vowed, saying they will be seeking redress in court.

“The fact of the matter that a thing like this can happen in an international airport in the presence of arriving passengers, some of them who are diplomats, put us in the category of a Banana Republic,” he asserted.

He said, the authorities ought to have validated his Kenyan passport upon his arrival, “and allow back to the country according to the court order. The excuses they were giving are without a legal foundation.”

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READ: They treated me like a beast, Miguna says of 5 days in detention

-Away for 6 weeks-

The NRM General has been out of the country for six weeks following his deportation.

During his stay in Canada and other countries he visited, Miguna continued agitating for electoral justice.

He also openly condemned Odinga “for betraying the cause.”

For electoral justice to be served, he insists President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto must vacate office.

His perceived bad blood with the former Prime Minister, a man he once served as an aide, may be over after he went to his rescue.

-About Miguna-

Miguna is a Kenyan, born in Kisumu district and practices law both in Kenya and Canada – where he was granted political asylum, enabling him to pursue higher education and even obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy degree from the University of Toronto and later pursued law at the Osgoode Hall Law School.

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He often reminds his audience that he is a barrister and solicitor in Canada.

He was detained by the Moi regime due to political activism while serving as a student leader at the University of Nairobi, and fled to Tanzania on foot upon release, before heading to Swaziland for a brief stay before Canada took him in.

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