Besigye, Lutale further remanded by magistrate Esther Nyadoi

Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s court has further remanded Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale to Luzira Prison until May 21 as investigations into treason and misprision of treason charges continue.

Besigye and Lutale, alongside UPDF Captain Denis Oola, appeared today, Wednesday, before chief magistrate Esther Nyadoi, who ordered their continued detention. Their lawyers, led by Erias Lukwago, protested the harsh treatment of their clients, alleging that they are being held in solitary confinement and denied access to their families and legal counsel despite being presumed innocent.

According to Lukwago, the state’s treatment of Besigye and Lutale implies that they are already viewed as convicts without any court ruling establishing their guilt.

The case was adjourned to May 21, pending the outcome of an appeal Besigye’s lawyers filed, challenging a court decision to hear evidence from a police officer in an application where prosecutors seek access to Besigye’s and Lutale’s phones in a hearing closed to the public and media.

Chief state attorney Richard Birivumbuka expressed frustration over delays in disposing of the appeal, which the defense attributed to judicial transfers and changes at the High court.

Last week, Besigye and Lutale filed a second bail application in the High court, seeking release from custody, where they have now spent over 150 days battling the treason-related charges.

This came after justice Rosette Kania Comfort dismissed their first bail application on April 11, 2025, arguing that they were likely to interfere with ongoing investigations, noting that treason is “the gravest offence under Ugandan law.”

The new application is yet to be fixed for a hearing. Prosecutors allege that the trio, while in Geneva in Switzerland, Athens in Greece, Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, solicited firearms, logistical, and financial support and attended meetings with the intention of overthrowing the Ugandan government.