Kampala, Uganda: The highly sensitive treason case against Col (Rtd) Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused took a dramatic turn on Wednesday as state prosecutors tabled an amended charge sheet revealing an alleged transnational plot to violently overthrow the government of Uganda.
The accused; Dr. Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale, and UPDF officer Capt. Denis Oola now face fresh charges linked to covert meetings they allegedly held in Geneva, Athens, and Nairobi between 2023 and 2024, along with alleged fundraising and mobilization of youth recruits for armed rebellion.
The amended charge sheet presented by detectives from CID Headquarters, indicates that Besigye facilitated the meetings in Geneva on October 29, 2023; January 24, 2024; and June 14, 2024, as well as another in Athens on September 29, 2024, where he allegedly discussed plans to topple the NRM government by force.
The four-time Presidential runner-up is further accused of wiring USD 5,000 to facilitate the travel of 21 Ugandan youth to Nairobi for military training.
State prosecutors also allege that the trio and others still at large used instant messaging platform WhatsApp between October 2023 and November 2024 to coordinate and express intent to acquire firearms and wage a rebellion against the state.
“Between 29th October 2023 and 16th November 2024, Col (Rtd) Dr. Kizza Besigye Kifeefe, RO/12743 Captain Denis Oola and others made various utterances on the WhatsApp social media platform where they discussed and expressed their intention to overturn the government of Uganda by force of arms,” the charge sheet reads.
On another count, “Col (Rtd) Dr. Kizza Besigye Kifeefe, and others still at large between the year 2023 and November 2024 at various places including Geneva in Switzerland, Athens in Greece, Nairobi in Kenya, Kampala in Uganda, knowing that another person to wit Joel Wakhaima and Frank Kihehere Atukunda intended to commit treason, did not give information thereof with all reasonable dispatch to the Minister, an administrative officer, a Magistrate or an officer in charge of a police Station or use all reasonable endeavors to prevent the commission of the treason.”
Besigye’s co-accused “Hajji Obeid Lutale, Captian Denis Oola, others still at large between the year 2023 and November 2024 at various places including Nairobi in Kenya and Kampala in Uganda, knowing that another person to wit Col (Rtd) Dr. Kizza Besigye Kifeefe intended to commit treason, did not give information thereof with all reasonable dispatch to the Minister, an administrative officer, a Magistrate or an officer in charge of a police Station or use all reasonable endeavors to prevent the commission of the treason.”
Drama in court
A dramatic standoff erupted in court when lawyers representing the accused staged a walkout in protest of the Chief Magistrate’s decision to proceed without senior Kenyan counsel Martha Karua.
Led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, the defence team accused Chief Magistrate Christine Nantege of presiding over a “judicial ambush,” claiming the court had earlier scheduled the matter for May 29 but then abruptly changed the date to May 23 without proper notice.
“We cannot sit here and watch justice being mocked,” Lukwago declared before exiting the courtroom. “We were told this matter would resume on May 29 because the court diary was full. How is the court suddenly available today?”
The defence further argued that Karua, who has been officially instructed to represent Dr. Besigye and his political associate Hajji Obeid Lutale, was deliberately sidelined, despite the gravity of the charges and her cross-border legal involvement following the pair’s controversial abduction from Nairobi in November 2024.
Addressing the court directly, Besigye said, “I am not a lawyer. I cannot represent myself on complex legal matters,” stressing that Karua’s absence gravely undermined his right to a fair hearing.
The courtroom earlier in the day descended into chaos when plainclothes men believed to be security operatives clashed with Besigye supporters, leading to a bitter fight, accusing them of taking unauthorized photos.
One of the Defence Lawyers who witnessed the fight, Mr Eron Kiiza, decried their presence, saying, “They were lurking in corners like goons.”
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