Erias Lukwago, a former mayor and lawyer for opposition figure Kizza Besigye, has been charged with a treason‑related offence in Kampala.
He appeared before a magistrate’s court looking visibly weak after being detained at his home early this week.
Lukwago denied the charges of failure to report treason and was remanded in custody until the court hearing next week.
The arrest sparked condemnation when military chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba boasted online about the seizure, claiming it was orchestrated by security forces.
Opposition politician Bobi Wine alleged that Lukwago was taken on Kainerugaba’s orders while he was preparing to serve a court summons on the army chief.
Lukwago’s family petitioned the court for an order demanding that security officers disclose his whereabouts and release him, whether dead or alive, after accusations of abduction.
Besigye, a long‑standing opponent of President Yoweri Museveni and former personal doctor to the president, has been jailed on treason charges since his forced return from Kenya in late 2024. He has faced multiple detentions and has run against Museveni in several presidential elections.
The case highlights rising tensions between Uganda’s authorities and opposition figures, raising concerns about legal rights and political repression.
Reuters
