In brief
Erias Lukwago, a former mayor and lawyer for opposition figure Kizza Besigye, has been charged with an offence linked to treason after his arrest at home. He appeared weak before a magistrate in Kampala and was remanded pending trial. The arrest drew swift criticism, especially after army chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba boasted about it on social media. Opposition activist Bobi Wine claimed Lukwago was seized on Kainerugaba’s orders while he was preparing a court summons against the military chief. Lukwago’s family pushed for an order to disclose his whereabouts, accusing security forces of unlawful abduction. The case underscores the tightening grip of the government over dissent and the precarious position of those defending opposition leaders such as Besigye, who has faced detentions and questioned rights ailed under treason charges.
Erias Lukwago, a former mayor of Lugazi and the lawyer representing the arrested opposition figure Kizza Besigye, has himself been charged, on Tuesday, with a treason‑related offence. He appeared before a magistrates court in the capital Kampala looking visibly weak, according to local media reports, only days after he was arrested at his house.
Lukwago denied the charges of failure to report treason, and was remanded in prison until next week when his case will be heard. The arrest sparked widespread condemnation after Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the country’s military chief and son of the president, boasted about it on social media.
The opposition politician Bobi Wine, who fled the country fearing for his life after contesting the January presidential election, alleged that Lukwago had been arrested on Kainerugaba’s orders as he was preparing to serve a court summons on the military chief.
"I call upon all of us to reject and resist this brazen impunity," Wine posted on X. Lukwago’s family sought a court order compelling security officers, whom they accused of abducting him, to disclose his whereabouts and release him whether "dead or alive".
The family argued that Kainerugaba had claimed responsibility for Lukwago’s seizure and boasted about mistreating him on social media. On X, Kainerugaba shared photos appearing to show Lukwago blindfolded in an unknown location and said: "I am proud of all the hurt and pain I will inflict on the criminal Lukwago!"
Lukwago has been representing Besigye, who has been jailed on treason charges since being abducted in neighbouring Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024.
Besigye is a long‑standing political opponent of President Yoweri Museveni. He once served as Museveni’s personal doctor before breaking ranks in 1999. Besigye has run against Museveni in several presidential elections and has been detained multiple times.
