City lawyer Erias Lukwago has said his client, Kizza Besigye, has called off his hunger strike following his appearance in civil court.
Appearing before the Nakawa Magistrate’s Court, Lukwago affirmed that proceedings before the General Court Martial had been quashed and therefore there was no pending charge.
According to him, this new development gives his client the opportunity to table his bail application.
“Now that they have formally charged him and obtained a remand warrant. We will follow due process. We want the bail application to be filed today,” Lukwago stated.
According to the charge sheet, he, along with Lutale, Captain Oola, and others still at large, allegedly conspired between 2023 and November 2024 in locations including Geneva, Switzerland; Athens, Greece; Nairobi, Kenya; and Kampala, Uganda, to overthrow the government.
During the court proceedings on February 21, 2025, Lukwago requested that the magistrate order Besigye’s transfer to a better health facility outside Luzira Prison for proper treatment.
However, Magistrate Esther Nyado declined, citing the gravity of the charges.
“I am constrained to make such orders given that these offences are capital in nature and can only be tried in the High Court. I order speedy investigations so that the accused can be committed to the High Court for trial. The accused are remanded to Luzira Prison until March 7, 2025, for mention,” Magistrate Nyado said.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo, has officially taken over the case.
The trio now faces treason charges, replacing the earlier accusations of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition previously instituted by the General Court Martial.
The shift follows last month’s Supreme Court ruling that the General Court Martial lacked jurisdiction to try civilians on such offenses.
Besigye, a retired UPDF officer and long-time government critic, has faced multiple legal battles in the past, often revolving around allegations of subversion and incitement. His political activism has led to frequent confrontations with the government.
