The former Kampala Lord Mayor and lawyer, Erias Lukwago, was locked up together with a tuberculosis (TB) patient, the Makindye chief magistrate’s court heard this morning from his lawyer, Medard Lubega Sseggona. Sseggona submitted Chief Magistrate Sarah Basemera, saying Lukwago’s condition had continued to deteriorate while on remand. He told the court that Lukwago’s weakened immunity made him vulnerable to infections, after a blood test reportedly showed a reduction in his white blood cell count.
Sseggona said that although prison authorities had made efforts to manage Lukwago’s condition, overcrowding at the facility, particularly around the TB ward, remained a major challenge. “There is a threat of TB infection. The ward where Lukwago is being held is located close to a TB Ward treatment section”, Sseggona told the court. He said the situation became more concerning when a TB patient was allegedly brought into Lukwago’s room despite his health condition.
Sseggona further informed the court that medical tests conducted on Lukwago showed a continued decline in his white blood cell count, affecting his body’s ability to fight infections. He added that Lukwago’s dislocated disc had worsened, causing him severe pain. The lawyer told the court that the condition could not be adequately examined or treated within Luzira Prison and required specialised medical intervention.
According to Sseggona, the defence has a letter from the Director of Medical Services at a referral facility indicating that Lukwago requires MRI-guided assessment and treatment. “It is the reason it has not been provided in prison,” Sseggona said. He asked the court to allow Lukwago to undergo further medical examinations, including an MRI scan at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
However, Sseggona commended prison authorities for facilitating medical care for his client, saying they had provided a mattress and ensured he received treatment at Murchison Bay Hospital. “The doctors have kept checking on him, and we are grateful for this, Your Honor,” he told the court. When contacted on the allegations that a TB patient had been placed in Lukwago’s room, Uganda Prisons Service Spokesperson Senior Commissioner Frank Baine denied the claims, saying: “those are gambles to win sympathy”.
Bail application hearing On the progress of Lukwago’s bail application, Sseggona told the court that the defence had complied with all directions issued during the previous hearing. He said the prosecution served its written submissions on Friday as agreed, while the defence filed its rejoinder through the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) on Saturday, together with supporting documents, including the LC1 letter requested by the court.
The prosecution confirmed that all parties had complied with the timelines set by the court and that the state’s response had been filed on Saturday. However, state attorneys questioned the basis of additional oral submissions regarding Lukwago’s health, arguing that the concerns were not part of the agreed written submissions. In response, Sseggona said he was raising urgent developments concerning his client’s health that could not be ignored. After hearing both sides, Chief Magistrate Basemera said she would deliver her ruling on the bail application at 2 pm.
Lukwago, the President of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) and former Kampala Lord Mayor, is facing a charge of misprision of treason under Section 25 of the Penal Code Act. Prosecutors allege that between 2021 and November 2024, in Uganda and Kenya, Lukwago and others still at large knew of an alleged plan by his clients, Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, and others to overthrow the government but failed to report the information to authorities or take reasonable steps to prevent the alleged offence.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has opposed Lukwago’s bail application, arguing that the offence carries a possible sentence of life imprisonment and that his release could create risks of absconding and interference with witnesses. The prosecution has also challenged the medical grounds for bail, maintaining that available evidence does not show that Lukwago’s condition can be managed by the Uganda Prisons Service through Murchison Bay Hospital.
State attorneys have further questioned the suitability of his proposed sureties, including Gulu City Woman MP Betty Aol Ocan, Buikwe South MP Michael Lulume Bayiga, and Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze Bakireke. Lukwago was arrested on June 15, 2026. Before his arrest, he was part of the legal team representing Besigye and Kamulegeya in the treason case against them. Court records in the Besigye case allege that several opposition politicians and activists participated in meetings outside Uganda where discussions about removing the government allegedly took place.
Prosecutors claim some of these meetings were secretly recorded by an individual identified in court documents as Andrew Wilson, who later worked with Ugandan security agencies as an informant. Lukwago maintains his innocence and denied the allegations last week.
Karua denied entry into Uganda.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kizza Besigye, the senior lawyer of Martha Karua, has been denied entry into Uganda after being blocked at Entebbe International Airport. According to the Uganda Law Society, Karua, who is the lead lawyer in Besigye’s treason case, had travelled to Uganda to show solidarity with Lukwago.
The Law Society said that while other people she was travelling with were allowed entry into the country, Karua was directed to return to Kenya. Sources told Uganda Radio Network that the decision to block Karua was political, arguing that she did not have a practising certificate to participate as a lawyer in Lukwago’s case.
The source said the Uganda Law Council only accredited her to provide legal services in Besigye’s matter. Besigye and Lutale were arrested in November 2024 in Nairobi during an event where Karua had reportedly organised a book launch. The state alleges that the two had travelled to Kenya for a planning mission on how to overthrow the Ugandan government-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
