Former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago was committed to the High Court for trial Thursday on a charge of misprision of treason after the Director of Public Prosecutions concluded its investigation into the case.
Makindye Chief Magistrate Sarah Basemera committed Lukwago to the High Court after prosecutors presented committal papers approved by the DPP, ending proceedings in the Magistrates Court.
Lukwago, who remains on remand, has not entered a plea because treason-related offenses can only be tried by the High Court. A hearing date will be set by that court.
According to an indictment signed by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Thomas Jatiko, Lukwago is accused of failing to report information related to an alleged plot to overthrow the government of Uganda between 2021 and November 2024.
Prosecutors allege that Lukwago, as president of the People’s Front for Freedom, knew that opposition figures, including Dr. Kizza Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale, Joel Wakhaima and Frank Kiherere Atukunda, intended to commit treason but neither informed authorities nor took reasonable steps to prevent the alleged offenses.
The charge is brought under Section 25 of the Penal Code Act, which criminalises the failure to promptly report knowledge of intended treason to the relevant authorities.
According to the prosecution, investigations began after Andrew Wilson, described as the proprietor of a private security company dealing in firearms, investigations and tactical training, allegedly alerted Uganda’s military intelligence that he had been approached by Switzerland-based Ugandan Joel Wakhaima to source weapons, military equipment and training for a group allegedly planning to overthrow the government through armed rebellion.
Prosecutors say Wilson subsequently worked as an undercover operative under the supervision of military intelligence, secretly recording meetings and conversations with individuals allegedly linked to the plot.
Court documents indicate that Wilson later attended meetings in Brussels, Geneva and Nairobi involving several opposition politicians and activists.
The prosecution alleges that Lukwago attended one of the meetings in Brussels, where discussions centred on recruiting Wilson as a military and security adviser for the alleged plot, but failed to report the information to authorities.
The prosecution further alleges that Lukwago knew about plans to recruit and train supporters in intelligence gathering, surveillance, drone operations and paramilitary tactics, including an alleged training programme in Kisumu, Kenya, which prosecutors say was facilitated with US$5,000 provided by Wilson.
According to the indictment, Lukwago also knew of a November 2024 meeting in Nairobi where discussions allegedly included acquiring surface-to-air missiles, drones and other weapons, as well as plans to assassinate President Yoweri Museveni and trigger civil disobedience, but deliberately failed to disclose the information.
The DPP says it intends to rely on covert audio and video recordings, forensic examinations of electronic devices, WhatsApp communications, immigration records, travel histories and other documentary evidence during the trial.
The case is closely linked to the substantive treason case against Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale, who were arrested in Nairobi in November 2024.
Their case was transferred from the General Court Martial to the civilian courts following the Supreme Court’s decision in Attorney General v. Michael Kabaziguruka and Others, and they have since been committed to the High Court for trial.
Following the committal proceedings, Lukwago’s lawyer, Medard Lubega Ssegona, asked the court to allow his client to travel under prison guard to Fortis Memorial Research Institute Hospital in India for specialised treatment, with his wife accompanying him at their own expense.
In the alternative, the defence asked the court to order prison authorities to replace Lukwago’s specialised electrically powered medical pillow, which they said had been dismantled by prison officials, and to ensure he is kept in a well-ventilated environment.
Addressing the court, Lukwago said his health had deteriorated while on remand.
He told the court that specialists at Mulago National Referral Hospital had recommended surgery and that prison medical staff were only monitoring his condition.
He said he now depends on sedatives to sleep and appealed to the State to facilitate his treatment so he could adequately prepare for trial.
State Attorney Judith Nyamwiza opposed the applications, arguing that once committal papers had been filed, the Magistrates Court no longer had jurisdiction to determine such requests and that the defence should instead seek relief before the High Court. Chief Magistrate Basemera agreed, ruling that the filing of the indictment effectively ended the jurisdiction of the Magistrates Court.
“This court has no powers at the moment. I am alive to his medical needs, but this can only be managed by the High Court in a bail application already filed by his lawyers,” Basemera ruled.
On the dispute over Lukwago’s medical pillow, the magistrate said prison authorities had raised security concerns after allegedly discovering a recording device inside it. She advised Lukwago’s lawyers and family to engage the Uganda Prisons Service and explain how the device operates.
However, Ssegona dismissed the allegation, insisting the pillow contained no recording equipment and challenging prison authorities to produce the alleged gadget. He argued that if prison officials had dismantled the medical device without justification, they should replace it.
Lukwago will remain on remand until the High Court schedules his trial. Meanwhile, Dr. Besigye and Hajji Lutale are expected to return to the High Court on July 29, 2026, when proceedings in their substantive treason case are due to resume.
