KAMPALA– Col (Rtd) Dr. Kiiza Besigye and his aidee Hajji Obeid Lutale who are facing treason and misprison of treason charges have refused to appear before High Court judge Emmanuel Baguma for their third bail application.
On appearing before Justice Baguma on Friday, Erias Lukwago, lawyer representing Besigye and Lutale informed court that his clients asked him to make an application seeking justice Baguma to recuse himself from hearing their bail application accusing him of being biased.
The judge asked Lukwago, to make a formal application which he will base on to deliver his ruling on Tuesday next week.
The hearing of the treason case against Besigye , Lutale and Captain Dennis Oola a UPDF Officer
will commence on 1st September 2025.
Justice Baguma in ruling delivered via mail on Besigye’s bail application, declined to release prominent opposition politician and Hajji Lutale on grounds that they had not yet clocked 180 days on remand by Courts of Judicature despite of the submissions that they were remanded to Prison in November 2024 by General Court Martial.
In his decision, Baguma noted that the applicants failed to enough produce evidence to prove they were on remand since last year which prompted him to start counting days spent on remand from 21st February 2025 when Nakawa Magistrates Court remanded them until the date of bail application.
This ruling resulted into a wide debate among the public and members of civil society organizations with some describing it as an infringement on accused’s rights.
It’s alleged that, that Col (rtd) Dr. Kizza Besigye Kifefe, a former senior army officer and founding member of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), used international platforms in Geneva, Athens, and Nairobi in 2023 and 2024 to coordinate plans to topple the government.
