The High Court in Kampala has ordered that the treason trial against opposition politician Rt. Col. Dr. Kiiza Besigye proceeds within a week’s time, despite objections from the defence over lack of enough time to prepare.
Besigye is jointly charged with his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, and UPDF Captain Denis Oola on charges of plotting to overthrow the legitimate government of Uganda.
On Monday, Judge Emmanuel Baguma of the High Court Criminal Division directed that all pre-trial matters, including selection and swearing-in of three assessors, be completed by June 8 2026.
He also ordered that the prosecution should start calling witnesses by June 11th 2026.
The prosecution, led by Assistant DPP Thomas Jatiko and Chief State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka, told court that all evidence has already been given to the defence. This includes many documents and about ten hours of audio and video recordings pinning the three accused persons on treason offenses.
But the defence lawyers, led by Former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago , Fredrick Mpanga, Ernest Kalibala, Bayern Turinawe among others said the time given is too short. They asked for at least one month to go through the evidence and prepare for trial.
They also said it is difficult to prepare while their clients are in Luzira Prison, where they cannot freely access equipment like laptops or devices to play audio and video recordings.
They added that meetings with clients are also limited, especially over weekends and public holidays.
A Prison Officer, ASP Timothy Wasike, told court that lawyer access is normally not allowed over weekends, but said special arrangements can be made if the court orders so.
In response, Justice Baguma ordered the Deputy Registrar to write to prison authorities to allow defence lawyers to meet the accused over weekends and public holidays. He also ordered that proper facilities be provided to help lawyers review the evidence.
However, the defence was not satisfied. They asked court to review the orders, saying even with weekend access, the time is still not enough to prepare a proper defence.
They also said some prosecution evidence is still missing, including statements from at least five people.
The defence team further asked court to stop the trial and send some constitutional questions to the Constitutional Court.
They want the court to explain what “adequate time and facilities” means under Article 28(c) of the Constitution, also questioned whether starting the trial before finishing preliminary issues is constitutional.
The defence suggested that the Constitutional Court should decide whether seven days is enough time to prepare after evidence disclosure, and whether limited access to lawyers meets constitutional standards.
Justice Baguma said he will decide today at 5pm whether to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court.
Dr Kizza Besigye is jointly charged with Obeid Lutale, and Captain Denis Oola om treason charges for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government.
Prosecutors allege that the trio held meetings in Geneva, Athens, Nairobi, and Kampala to solicit funds, acquire weapons, and organise paramilitary operations.
According to the state, Besigye allegedly met a Kurdish intelligence agent identified as Andrew Wilson (AW) and received $5,000 to facilitate the transport of 36 Ugandan recruits to Kisumu, Kenya, for military training. The recruits were reportedly intercepted and deported before the training began.
The prosecution further alleges that Besigye sought surface-to-air missiles, ricin poison, counterfeit currency, and planned to use drone technology to assassinate President Yoweri Museveni.
The state claims it has audio and video recordings, social media messages, immigration documents, and phone logs linking the accused to the alleged plot. For now, Besigye, Captain Oola and Lutale have gone back on remand at Luzira prison-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
