The International Press Association of East Africa (IPAEA) has called on the Kenyan government to explain the deportation of American journalist Margot Kiser Jones and address concerns over her constitutional rights, as she challenges her exclusion from the country in court.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, October 21, the association condemned the reported treatment of Kiser, urging authorities to clarify their actions and restore her rights as a journalist.
The case centres on an immigration decision declaring Kiser a prohibited immigrant in October 2025, her subsequent issuance of a three-year residency permit and her deportation to Dubai on March 8, 2026, after she attempted to return to Kenya.
Kiser has filed a constitutional petition challenging the decision, arguing that authorities failed to notify her of the prohibition or provide the intelligence report used to justify it. She is seeking to have the decision and her deportation declared unlawful, to be allowed back into Kenya and to obtain compensation.
According to IPAEA, Kiser reported that more than a dozen Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers, accompanied by armed police, arrived at her Mombasa apartment on October 10, 2025.
She alleged that the officers seized her phones, laptops and other electronic devices before taking her to Nairobi and placing her on an Emirates flight. Kiser told the association that she was denied access to a lawyer and her son before being taken away.
“They seized my phones, laptops and other devices, denied me access to a lawyer or even my son, flew me to Nairobi and put me on an Emirates flight bound for New York. I got off in Dubai and stayed there,” she said, according to IPAEA.
Kiser had been reporting on the Shakahola massacre, in which hundreds of people died in a religious fasting tragedy linked to preacher Paul Mackenzie. She had also reportedly raised concerns with Children’s Services over allegations that Mackenzie’s young children were being forced to fast.
However, Kiser said she did not know whether her reporting on the massacre or the children’s welfare was connected to the immigration action against her.
The dispute intensified after authorities reportedly declared her a prohibited immigrant on October 9, 2025, citing an intelligence report alleging that her activities threatened Kenya’s moral fabric and national security.
Kiser argues that she was not given an opportunity to challenge the decision before it was implemented.
Her petition raises concerns about the right to fair administrative action under Article 47 of the Constitution, which requires administrative decisions affecting people’s rights to be lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair.
A three-year Class K residency permit issued to Kiser on February 5, 2026, has also become central to the dispute. The permit was granted months after the prohibited-immigrant designation.
The government has reportedly attributed the issuance of the permit to a misspelling of Kiser’s surname in its immigration database, which prevented the system from flagging her prohibited status.
Authorities maintain that the permit did not override the earlier designation and that the removal was lawful under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act.
Kiser disputes the government’s position and is seeking disclosure of her immigration records, an order facilitating her return to Kenya and damages for the distress and risks she says she experienced following her deportation to Dubai.
IPAEA said journalists must be able to carry out their work safely and report without intimidation or interference. The association urged the government to explain the circumstances surrounding Kiser’s removal and take steps to restore her rights.
The case raises wider questions about the exercise of immigration powers, due process and the protection of foreign journalists working in Kenya.
The court’s determination of Kiser’s petition will address the legality of the decisions she is challenging.
