Besigye, Lutale Miss Court Session on Health Grounds, Hearing Adjourned to October

The High Court in Kampala has  adjourned the treason proceedings against retired Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye, his aide  Hajji Obeid Lutale, and a UPDF  Captain Dennis Oola after two of the accused  have failed to show up in court this morning while citing  health grounds.

The matter has  come up before the Deputy Head of Civil Division Justice Emmanuel Baguma, with the state being  represented by Assistant Directors of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Lino Anguzu, Thomas Jatiko ,  Richard Birivumbuka, and  Joseph Kyomuhendo while the  defence team has been  led by Kenyan senior counsel Martha Karua and assisted by the Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago and Ernest Kalibbala.

However, the third accused, Capt. Oola, has been physically present in court.

Anguzu tasked the prison authorities to explain why Dr. Besigye and Hajji Lutale are not in court yet the last time they appeared and were remanded to a Government prison at Luzira. 

Instead Justice Baguma  read out in court  two  hand written  letters  dated 1st September by Dr. Besigye and Hajji Lutale  from  Luzira Upper Prison. The said letters have been addressed  to the Deputy Registrar of the Criminal Division  indicating  that both men are unwell and unable to attend court.

The two further asked the court to adjourn the hearing of  to another date.  

The prosecution  team conceded that under the law, an accused cannot be tried in their absence unless by consent or under specific lawful circumstances, and therefore proceedings could not continue.

However the defence team has been surprised by the letters saying  they had no prior knowledge of them  but the lawyers have informed the judge that they had other concerns to put before court, However after reviewing the prison correspondences, Justice Baguma  ruled that it was prudent to await the attendance of all the accused before plea is taken adding that since Besigye and Lutale are not in court  their concerns will be raised in their presence too.

Justice Baguma has further noted that Capt Oola would not take plea separately but jointly with Besigye and Lutale thus  adjourning the session to October 1, 2025, at 11 a.m. for plea-taking.

The trio faces grave charges of treason and concealment of treason. According to the indictment, between 2023 and November 2024, they allegedly engaged in a conspiracy to overthrow the government of Uganda.

They allegedly committed the offenses through meetings  held in Switzerland- Geneva,  Greece – Athens, Nairobi – Kenya and Kampala. 

The state claims Besigye coordinated the plan with foreign operatives, including a Kurdish intelligence agent, and even solicited military-grade weapons and sabotage strategies.

It is further alleged that Besigye received $5,000 to facilitate the transportation of Ugandans for paramilitary training in Kenya, while Lutale and Oola played supportive roles in the conspiracy.

The prosecution says it will rely on video and audio recordings, immigration logs, call data, and witness testimony during trial. 

The accused remain on remand at Luzira prison.