Kenya deports opposition firebrand

An outspoken member of Kenya's opposition accused of treason for taking part in a mock swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga was deported to Canada late Tuesday.

The move came in defiance of a High Court order that he be presented before a judge on Wednesday.

Miguna Miguna, a provocative firebrand and member of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition, was forced onto an international flight on Tuesday night.

"Miguna denounced his Kenyan citizenship years back, acquired Canadian citizenship and never bothered to reclaim Kenyan citizenship in the legally prescribed manner neither did he disclose that he had another country's citizenship despite being a lawyer who should have known better," said Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka in a tweet Wednesday.

Holding dual citizenship is legal in Kenya, and in August, Miguna ran for political office, with proof of Kenyan citizenship, a key criteria for all candidates.

Miguna was put on a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight to Toronto via Amsterdam, a security officer at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport said.

"He was driven in by heavily armed police officers who forced him into a flight to Canada. All deportation procedures have been followed," the officer said.

Miguna's lawyer, Nelson Havi, confirmed his client had been "forced into a KLM flight for 'deportation' to Canada. Now, how do you deport a Kenyan?" he asked.

On January 30, Miguna played a prominent role in Odinga's mock inauguration and three days later was arrested in a dawn raid on his Nairobi home.

SS