This archive report was first published on 7 January 2020.
January 7, 2020
Kenyan lawyer Miguna Miguna was blocked from boarding a flight to Kenya at Berlin Airport in Germany after a red alert was issued, prohibiting him from traveling to the country.
According to Miguna, German authorities were instructed not to allow him to board his flight to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) or any other African country.
‘In fact, the Kenya Government has demanded that Lufthansa must refund my fare. They have demanded that Lufthansa should not fly me into any other African country, either,’ Miguna said in an interview with Hot 96.
He claimed that the Lufthansa flight manager told him that the Government of Kenya must send an official communication to Lufthansa at Frankfurt office before he can be allowed to fly to Kenya or any other African country.
‘Lufthansa says that the red alert was issued by the Office of the President in Nairobi, Kenya,’ Miguna added.
Despite the Kenyan government's earlier statement that it would facilitate Miguna's return to the country, he was expected to land in Kenya on Tuesday evening.
However, the government's stance appears to have changed, with the Director of Immigration, Alexander Muteshi, stating on Monday that the directorate would facilitate Dr. Miguna's entry into Kenya in compliance with court orders issued on December 14, 2018.
Justice Weldon Korir had ordered authorities to facilitate Miguna's re-entry on the basis of his identification through his national identity card or his withheld Kenyan passport.
