Kenyan lawyer Miguna Miguna returned to the capital, Nairobi, on Thursday morning, four years after he was forcibly removed from the country.
He was received by friends and relatives at Nairobi’s main airport after arriving from exile in Canada.
In 2018, Kenyan officials argued that the lawyer – who holds dual Kenyan-Canadian citizenship – was not a citizen. But Mr Miguna said his deportation was political.
The vocal lawyer now enjoys the support of President William Ruto after falling out with erstwhile ally opposition leader Raila Odinga.
On arrival, he said President Ruto had invited him to attend the Heroes Day celebrations, an annual event to honour independence heroes, scheduled to be held later on Thursday at a park on the outskirts of the capital.
“I’m very grateful for the warm welcome you have given me. And I am extremely happy to be back home. I extend my gratitude to all Kenyans who have stood with me,” he told a crowd at the airport.
“What has happened to me should never have happened to anyone else. A Kenyan-born citizen can not be removed forcibly from the country and punished in a foreign land.”
Local television NTV has tweeted a clip of Mr Miguna’s arrival:
