Muhoozi called to go after Justice Baguma instead of Lukwago

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been accused by a section of lawyers in Uganda for targeting a wrong person Col Dr Kizza Besigye’s lawyer Erias Lukwago, when he sent soldiers to apprehend him from his home Wakaliga on Monday.

The lawyers note that Lukwago was merely fulfilling his legal mandate of serving court orders against the Chief of Defence forces.

Senior lawyer Isaac Newton Mpanga has suggested that attention should shift from Lukwago to the judicial officer who issued the court summons.

Mpanga argued that lawyers do not issue summons and that those angered by the court process should instead question the judicial officer responsible.

“Summons are not issued by lawyers. Summons are issued by the Judiciary. Receive the summons and ascertain which judicial officer issued them, then take them for Swahili lessons. Otherwise you are in the basement with the wrong lawyer,” Mpanga wrote.

His comments followed the arrest of Lukwago, who had been preparing to serve court summons on Gen Kainerugaba in a case linked to threats the military chief allegedly made against opposition politician Kizza Besigye. 

The summons were issued by Justice Emmanuel Baguma of the High Court last week.

Lukwago, the president of the People's Front for Freedom (PFF) and one of Besigye's lawyers, was taken from his home in Wakaliga on June 15 by security operatives and driven to an undisclosed location, according to his party and opposition leaders.

Gen Kainerugaba later acknowledged responsibility for the operation through a series of posts on X. He also shared photographs of Lukwago in custody and warned that anyone attempting to serve him court papers would face consequences.

The arrest has sparked criticism from sections of the legal fraternity and opposition figures. The Uganda Law Society condemned the detention and called for Lukwago's immediate release, describing it as an affront to legal processes.