British journalist wins right to stay in Kenya

A British journalist has won a four-year battle against her deportation from Kenya, the Star newspaper reports. 

Lucy Hannan, who has lived in Kenya since 1988, had been challenging a refusal by the state in 2013 to renew her work permit, saying her presence in Kenya was against the national interest.

High Court Justice Isaac Lenaola criticised then Interior minister Joseph ole Lenku for declaring Ms Hannan a prohibited immigrant.

He directed the relevant government department to extend Ms Hannan's work permit for two more years, the Star reports. 

He said it is in the interest of justice that the journalist be given time to finalise her pending applications, including that for citizenship.

After leaving BBC, she set up Voxcom Ltd, a private media company in Nairobi that produces films for humanitarian organisations including the UN, EU and Oxfam.

Her video recordings were used as evidence by civil society groups in the Supreme Court in a case challenging President Uhuru Kenyatta's election in 2013.