By Andrew Mbuva
Civil society organisations, human rights defenders, professional associations and business leaders have condemned the reported removal of Zimbabwean constitutional lawyer and Pan-African human rights defender Brian Kagoro from an aircraft in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as he travelled to Nairobi on September 15, 2026.
The groups accuse Kenyan authorities of frustrating Kagoro's return to the country despite a High Court order issued in June allowing him to enter Kenya pending the determination of a constitutional petition challenging his earlier detention and deportation.
Speaking during a press conference in Wote, Makueni County, representatives of the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Transparency International Kenya, the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) and Inuka Kenya said the latest incident raised serious questions about respect for judicial authority, due process and the rule of law.
According to reports from Kagoro's legal representatives and the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), Kagoro was travelling to Nairobi when he was removed from his flight in Addis Ababa, questioned and prevented from continuing his journey. His legal team has said it is pursuing legal avenues to challenge the action and enforce the High Court order.
The September 15 incident comes months after Kagoro was denied entry into Kenya following his arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on February 22, 2026.
Human rights organisations previously reported that Kagoro was detained for several hours and questioned by security officials before being returned to Johannesburg, South Africa. The Kenya Human Rights Commission said he was held for about 14 hours, while the International Federation for Human Rights reported that he was questioned over allegations concerning involvement in financing and coordinating protest activities. Kagoro has rejected the allegations.
The February incident triggered a legal challenge by PALU, the East Africa Law Society, the Law Society of Kenya and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists. In June, the High Court's Constitutional and Human Rights Division issued conservatory orders protecting Kagoro against future arbitrary denial of entry while the petition is pending.
The latest developments have now prompted renewed calls for the government to explain whether Kenyan authorities played any role in the removal of Kagoro from the aircraft in Addis Ababa.
The civil society groups are demanding that the government immediately facilitate Kagoro's entry into Kenya and refrain from any direct or indirect obstruction of his travel.
They are also calling for a full public account of the incident, including disclosure of whether Kenyan authorities requested or caused his removal in Addis Ababa, the legal basis for the action and the agencies or officials involved.
The organisations further want independent oversight of the matter, including allowing the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and Kagoro's lawyers to monitor compliance with the court order and investigate any officials alleged to have frustrated or circumvented it.
They have also called for an end to what they describe as intimidation, surveillance, unlawful removal, arbitrary arrest, harassment and disinformation targeting civic and economic actors.
The groups said constitutional freedoms relating to expression, association, peaceful assembly and access to information must be protected, warning that actions against human rights defenders and civic actors could raise broader concerns about Kenya's civic space and adherence to constitutional safeguards.
The government has yet to publicly explain the circumstances surrounding Kagoro's reported removal from the aircraft in Addis Ababa.
Kagoro's case has attracted attention from regional and international legal and human rights organisations since his February deportation, with several groups calling for clarification of the legal basis for the initial denial of entry and subsequent removal.
