Nakawa Magistrates Court has committed to High Court Rtd Col Dr. Kiiza Besigye , Captain Denis Oola who are charged with treason.
Earlier on , Besigye through his lawyers had asked Court for mandatory release having stayed in prison for over six months on remand without trial. However this was denied which prompted the defence lawyers led by Martha Karua to storm out of court.
According to the committal papers which have been presented in court by State Prosecutor Richard Birivumbika, presented to Nakawa Magistrate , Christine Nantege, Besigye who is a former senior army officer and founding member of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) allegedly used international meetings in Geneva, Athens, and Nairobi throughout 2023 and 2024 to coordinate the plan.
These meetings reportedly involved foreign operatives, including a Kurdish intelligence agent (AW), with whom Besigye discussed military training, sabotage, and even an assassination attempt on President Yoweri Museveni via drone strike.
The prosecution alleges that Besigye solicited and received $5,000 from AW to fund the transportation of thirty six Ugandans to Kisumu, Kenya, for paramilitary training. The group was arrested before the training began and deported to Uganda. The operation was reportedly recorded and monitored by AW, who was working with Ugandan military intelligence.
Besigye is also accused of requesting military-grade weapons including surface-to-air missiles, counterfeit currency, and poison and targeting critical military installations across Uganda.
Meetings allegedly discussed attacks on airbases, sabotage of the economy, and the use of Uganda for illicit trafficking once the regime was overthrown.
The evidence, according to the state, includes covert video and audio recordings, social media chats, immigration logs, and call records. Besigye and Lutale were arrested on November 17, 2024, at the Malaba border with pistols and other items. Oola was reportedly recruited in October 2023 and expressed support for the coup via WhatsApp.
The state alleges that all accused acted with common intention and failed to report the planned treasonous acts, thereby also charging them with misprision of treason.
Therefore , the prosecution maintains that the evidence is overwhelming and that the accused have no valid defense to defend himself against the above allegations.
