- American freelance journalist Margot Kiser Jones, known for covering the Paul Mackenzie Shakahola trial, was deported to Dubai on March 8, 2026
- The Kenyan government declared Jones a prohibited immigrant in October 2025, citing an intelligence report she says was never disclosed to her
- Jones received a three-year residency permit four months after being declared a prohibited immigrant, a contradiction she is now using to fight her case in court
American freelance journalist Margot Kiser Jones has filed a lawsuit against the Kenyan government, seeking to have her deportation declared unlawful and to secure her right to return to the country where she had been living and working.
Source: Getty Images
Jones, who gained recognition for her consistent coverage of the trial of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie linked to the Shakahola Forest deaths, was designated a prohibited immigrant on October 9, 2025.
The government cited an intelligence report alleging she was engaged in activities harmful to Kenya's moral fabric and national security.
She was eventually deported on March 8, 2026, not to her home country of the United States, but to Dubai.
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The Case Jones Is Building Against the State
At the heart of her petition is the claim that she was never shown the intelligence report, never served with the declaration barring her entry, and was not given any opportunity to respond before her removal.
She only found out about the documents when the government filed its court response.
"By failing to notify me of the decision, the respondents effectively denied me my constitutional right to challenge the decision before its implementation," she stated in an affidavit.
Jones also questioned how, if she genuinely posed a serious national security threat, the government permitted her to move freely within Kenya for roughly six months after formally declaring her a prohibited immigrant.
She further raised concerns about her deportation destination.
Being sent to Dubai, she argued, exposed her to foreseeable safety risks given regional instability and travel advisories at the time, leaving her stranded without accommodation or prior contacts.
The Residency Permit That Complicated Everything
Perhaps the most striking element of her case involves a three-year Class K residency permit issued to her on February 5, 2026, four months after she had already been declared a prohibited immigrant.
Jones argued that the permit either cancelled out the earlier declaration or, at minimum, gave her reasonable grounds to believe she was lawfully entitled to remain in Kenya.
The government attributed the permit's issuance to a misspelling of her surname in its Personal Identification Secure and Evaluation System, which it said prevented the system from flagging her record. Jones countered that any administrative error of that nature remained the government's responsibility.
The Directorate of Immigration Services, the Ministry of Interior and the Attorney-General defended the deportation, arguing the process was carried out within the law under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act.
They maintained that a prohibited immigrant could not lawfully reside in Kenya regardless of whether immigration documents had been issued.
Jones is asking the court to declare both the prohibited immigrant designation and her deportation unconstitutional.
She is also seeking an order compelling the government to facilitate her return, instructions to immigration authorities not to obstruct her re-entry, full disclosure of her immigration records, and damages for emotional distress and the safety risks she reportedly faced upon her arrival in Dubai.
Source: TUKO.co.ke