Today, the High Court of Uganda has dismissed Dr. Kizza Besigye’s latest bid for freedom delivering a heavy blow to his relentless fight against state suppression.
The ruling, delivered in Kampala by High Court Judge Douglas Singiza rejected an application seeking the release of Besigye and his co-accused Obeid Lutale from Luzira Prison.
The judge ruled that the request had been “overtaken by events” after the duo was formally charged on February 21, 2025, at the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court rendering their plea for release unnecessary.
The decision has once again ignited debates over the treatment of opposition leaders in Uganda’s judicial system.
Judge Singiza emphasized that the court had to recognize the existing proceedings at Nakawa Court stating,
“The applicants were charged and remanded by the Chief Magistrates Court of Nakawa, and this court must take judicial notice of these proceedings as outlined in Section 56 of the Evidence Act.”
With this ruling, the court dismissed the application without awarding costs a move that left Besigye’s legal team frustrated.
Besigye, Lutale and Captain Denis Oola are currently facing grave charges of treason. Prosecutors allege that the trio operating from cities including Geneva, Athens, Nairobi, and Kampala conspired to solicit firearms, financial support and attended meetings aimed at overthrowing Uganda’s government.
While treason charges directly accuse a person of attempting to overthrow the government, misprision of treason refers to the concealment of such knowledge without informing the authorities.
Despite these serious accusations, Besigye’s defense team led by prominent lawyers Erias Lukwago, Ernest Kalibala, Medard Lubega Sseggona and Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa argued that their clients were being held without valid remand warrants.
They contended that the Supreme Court’s recent ruling nullifying military court jurisdiction over civilians should have immediately set their clients free.
However, the government represented by State Attorneys Johnson Natuhwera and Jackie Amusugut insisted that the Supreme Court ruling only mandated the transition of military court cases to civilian courts, a process that was already underway.
While the state insists that the charges against Besigye are purely legal and not politically motivated, his supporters see a different narrative.
To them, this ruling is yet another attempt to weaken opposition forces ahead of Uganda’s next election cycle.
Outside the courtroom, a wave of frustration and anger spread among Besigye’s supporters, who protested what they called a blatant miscarriage of justice.
Chants of “Free Besigye!” echoed through the streets, as his loyal base decried the judiciary’s handling of the case.
Besigye’s political battles with President Yoweri Museveni’s government have spanned decades with multiple arrests, house arrests and detentions defining his activism.
His latest courtroom loss is being viewed as a continuation of this long standing struggle. Opposition argue that Uganda’s judicial system has increasingly become an extension of the state’s political machinery strategically used to keep opposition figures entangled in endless legal battles.
Despite this setback, Besigye’s legal team has vowed to challenge the ruling keeping the battle for his release alive.
