KAMPALA – The High Court in Kampala has directed the Registrar to provide Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused with a list of State Brief lawyers for their treason trial, following a turbulent chain of events that decimated their original legal team.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The directive was made on Monday, July 13th, by Justice Emmanuel Baguma, while presiding over the Criminal Division court as the case reaches its end with the trial sessions.
Justice Baguma affirmed the right of Dr. Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale to select their counsel from the state-funded list, and accordingly directed the High Court Registrar to produce the list by 15th July 2026.
He cautioned that should the accused fail to make their selection promptly, the court would step in to appoint lawyers, emphasising that the trial must proceed without being shackled by procedural inconsistencies.
“We shall not allow this trial to be held hostage by procedural inconsistencies. The accused are entitled to representation, but the wheels of justice must continue to turn. The choice is theirs, but the timeline is the court’s,” Justice Baguma stated.
Dr. Besigye, Hajji Lutale, and Captain Denis Oola face serious charges of plotting to overthrow the Ugandan government by soliciting funds, acquiring weapons, and organising paramilitary activities across Kampala, Nairobi, Geneva, and Athens.
The proceedings have been overshadowed by the state’s alleged interference with the defence team, with Dr. Besigye telling the court in a tense exchange that he was brought from Luzira Prison under duress.
Besigye insisted that he had initially refused to participate in the proceedings after being denied access to his preferred lawyers, and he accused the state of progressively abusing the judicial process.
“The absence of our lawyers was occasioned by the state itself, not by ourselves. It is the state that has progressively abused the process,” Besigye declared.
The defence crisis began escalating on 15th June 2026, when lead counsel Erias Lukwago was arrested at his Wakaliga home by armed military personnel from the Special Forces Command.
Lukwago was formally charged two days later with misprision of treason for allegedly failing to report a treasonous plot between 2021 and November 2024, while simultaneously engaged in a separate case against CDF Gen Muhoozi over alleged social media threats.
Adding to the turmoil, Senior Counsel Martha Karua, the Kenyan lead advocate for Dr. Besigye, was detained without charge before being summarily deported to Kenya as she traveled to Uganda on 22nd June to represent Lukwago.
Karua’s detention and expulsion have drawn sharp criticism from regional legal observers, who decry the move as an affront to the right to personal liberty, fair hearing, and free movement within the East African Community.
With both Lukwago and Karua sidelined, the defence was left without principal counsel, prompting the court to invoke the constitutional provision for state-funded legal aid.
Meanwhile, the case has now been adjourned to Wednesday, 15th July 2026, when Dr. Besigye and Lutale are expected to either select their new counsel from the state brief or have the court appoint representation for them.
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