Lawyer Representing Besigye Charged With Treason-Related Offence

A former Kampala mayor and lawyer representing detained Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has been charged with a treason-related offence.

Erias Lukwago appeared before a magistrate’s court in Kampala looking visibly weak, according to local media, days after he was arrested at his home. He denied the charge of failing to report treason and was remanded in prison until next week when his case will be heard.

Lukwago’s arrest on Monday drew widespread criticism after Uganda’s military chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni, publicly claimed responsibility for the arrest on social media.

Opposition politician Bobi Wine, who fled Uganda after contesting the January presidential election, alleged that Lukwago was arrested on Kainerugaba’s orders while preparing to serve the military chief with court documents. Wine described the arrest as an act of “brazen impunity.”

Lukwago’s family also petitioned the court, accusing security officers of abducting him and demanding that authorities reveal his whereabouts and release him “dead or alive.”

Kainerugaba later shared photos on X appearing to show Lukwago blindfolded at an undisclosed location and posted that he was “proud of all the hurt and pain” he would inflict on the lawyer. The military chief has previously faced criticism for making similar posts about opposition figures.

Lukwago is part of the legal team defending Besigye, a longtime rival of President Museveni, who has been detained on treason charges since he was allegedly abducted in neighbouring Kenya and returned to Uganda in late 2024.

Besigye, once Museveni’s personal doctor before falling out with him in 1999, has challenged the president in several elections and has been arrested multiple times over the years.