A Kenyan-born British scientist Ahmad Zaheer has challenged the Kenyan government for deporting him.
Zaheer filed a petition with the Mombasa High Court suing the Interior Ministry CS and the Immigration Services over his deportation.
The petition before Justice Eric Ogola issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Attorney General to file responses to the suit, Daily Nation reports.
Zaheer was deported in October 2020 just two days after he arrived in Kenya. He says that he was no given a reason in writing as to why he was deported.
His lawyer Willis Otieno told the court that his client was deported without being given a chance to make their case.
“The respondent failed to give the petitioner notice of intention to make an adverse decision against him,” Otieno argue for his 74-year-old client.
Now, he wants the deportation order to be reversed terming it illegal. Otieno has also asked the court to direct that Zaheer’s name be removed from prohibited immigrants list.
Zaheer had just arrived to the country on October 2 and was expected to meet with his Kenya business partners.
However, when he presented his passport visa and entry stamp, he was not given an explanation as to why the Immigration department failed to stamp his documents.
He was detained at the airport for two days as his partner waited for him and was later deported to the UK.
Zaheer was held incommunicado an no lawyer or official from UK High Commission to Nairobi was allowed to see him while in detention.
“At no point was the petitioner given any written reasons why he was being deported or what wrong he had done that would warrant his forceful removal from the country,” his petition reads.
The case will be heard on April 24.
