Besigye treason case returns to court over witness row

Dr Kizza Besigye’s treason case returns to the High Court in Kampala as judges prepare to address disputed witness-protection requests and unresolved disclosure issues in the prosecution’s case. The resumed hearing follows earlier arguments over whether the defence received enough detail to prepare properly for trial.

Besigye and his aide Hajj Obeid Lutale are jointly charged with treason and misprision of treason alongside UPDF officer Capt. Denis Oola. Prosecutors allege the accused, together with others still at large, took part in a plot between 2023 and 2024 to overthrow the Ugandan government by force, with alleged activity linked to Kampala, Kenya, Greece and Switzerland.

The next step in court is expected to centre on the State’s application to shield the identities of six key witnesses, who prosecutors want identified only by letters rather than by their full personal details. Ugandan media reports say the prosecution argues the request is necessary for witness safety as the case moves forward.

Defence lawyers, however, have pushed back against that approach, saying the prosecution must make fuller disclosure of the evidence and identifying details needed to prepare the accused persons’ case. Earlier hearings were delayed after the court declined to proceed with scheduling before disclosure questions were addressed.

The case remains one of Uganda’s most closely watched political trials, not because of a verdict at this stage, but because the court must first decide how the prosecution’s evidence will be handled and whether the matter is ready to move into a fuller trial phase.