Deputy President William Ruto has pledged to bring back home deported Kenyan-Canadian attorney Miguna Miguna if he is elected president in August.
In an interview with Voice of America, the deputy president insisted that Miguna is a Kenyan citizen and believes he did nothing wrong to be banished.
“We will bring back Miguna Miguna in the country within the shortest time possible when I become President. He is a Kenyan. He has not done anything wrong. If he has done anything, he should be brought home and face the law at home,” Ruto told VOA on Saturday.
He added: “I don’t see any need for having refugees from other countries while our very own is a refugee in another country.”
Miguna was deported to Canada in February 2018 following his arrest for taking part in the mock swearing-in of ODM leader Raila Odinga as ‘people’s president’.
The Immigration Department later noted that Miguna was illegally in the country, saying he had renounced his Kenyan citizenship while acquiring a Canadian passport.
In 2018, Justice Chacha Mwita ruled that Miguna is a Kenyan citizen and that his birthright is not affected by him holding a Canadian passport. The judge added that Miguna’s rights were violated when they deported him and awarded Sh7 million as compensation.
Several court orders have since been issued directing the government to facilitate Miguna’s return to Kenya but authorities have ignored these orders.
