Besigye back in court today, refuses to drop lawyers Lukwago, Karua

Dr Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Obeid Lutale, are expected back before the High Court today for the hearing and determination of a human rights enforcement case filed against the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. 

Besigye alleges that Gen. Muhoozi violated his constitutional rights and compromised his right to a fair trial by making public statements threatening to kill or hang him 

Last week, Justice Emmanuel Baguma granted the duo additional time to find new lawyers after lead counsel Erias Lukwago Martha Karua became indisposed. The former was arrested on separate charges and later admitted to Mulao Hospital, while the latter was deported from Uganda.

However, in a letter addressed to Justice Baguma last weekend, Besigye and Lutale rejected the directive to replace their two lawyers, arguing that they have a constitutional right to legal representation of their choice.

"We assert that we are not giving up our right to select our own advocates," the letter states.

The two said the circumstances surrounding Lukwago's arrest and Karua's deportation point to an effort to deny them their preferred legal team.

"The matters above have unfolded to show that the State intends to ensure that we have no legal representation of our choice or that we are forced to take on representation by an advocate appointed by the State," they wrote.

Lukwago, one of the lead lawyers in the case, was arrested shortly after Besigye's bail application was rejected by Makindye Chief Magistrate Sarah Basemera on June 23, 2026. He was later remanded and is currently undergoing specialised treatment at Mulago National Referral Hospital after his health deteriorated in custody.

Karua, a Senior Counsel from Kenya, was deported from Uganda after being detained at Entebbe International Airport when she travelled to represent Besigye and Lutale. Ugandan authorities declared her persona non grata, preventing her from continuing with the case.

In the letter, Besigye and Lutale argued that Lukwago's arrest created a "chilling effect" on legal representation. They also cited social media posts by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba threatening to arrest anyone attempting to serve him with court documents.

"It is not clear whether the 1st to 3rd Respondents were served with the application because none of our lawyers served them. We know that Mr Lukwago was arrested in response to the intention to serve these Respondents," they wrote.

The two also questioned how they could realistically appoint new lawyers while being held in prison.

"We are in prison with no capacity to communicate with the world outside where we are incarcerated. Your order for us to find or instruct other lawyers is practically impossible to effect," they said.

They further argued that even if they secured replacement lawyers, it would be unfair to expect them to prepare adequately within a few days without sufficient time to review the case files and evidence.

Besigye and Lutale also accused the court of failing to address their concerns about legal representation while pressing ahead with the case.

"We have filed a third application... specifically seeking to resolve issues of our legal representation. It is the most urgent application since without unfettered legal representation we cannot even deal with the other applications or the main case," they wrote.

The two said they would continue insisting on representation by Karua and Lukwago whenever the lawyers are able to resume their duties.

They also asked the court to allow them to cross-examine witnesses who filed affidavits in the case and to order the respondents, including Gen Muhoozi, to appear for cross-examination before the applications are heard on their merits.

The human rights enforcement application accuses Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Col Peter Ahimbisibwe, Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga and the Attorney General of violating Besigye's and Lutale's constitutional rights.

Today's ruling is expected to determine whether the case proceeds without Lukwago and Karua or whether the court grants further time for the two lawyers to resume their representation.