In brief
Erias Lukwago, a lawyer for the detained opposition figure Kizza Besigye, was taken into custody and charged with an offence linked to treason in late June. He denied the accusations and was remanded until a hearing next week. His arrest follows a series of moves by the Ugandan government to curtail dissent, including a boast by military chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba that he had ordered Lukwago’s seizure. Lukwago’s family has sought court action demanding that security officials disclose his whereabouts and release him. Besigye, a long‑time opponent of President Yoweri Museveni, has been imprisoned under treason charges since his return from Kenya in 2024. The case highlights the increasing pressure on opposition lawyers in Uganda.
Lawyer of Uganda opposition figure besieged in treason case
A former mayor and lawyer who has represented detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye is now being charged with an offence linked to treason. He was taken before a magistrate in Kampala and appears visibly exhausted after being arrested at his home.
Lukwago denied that he had failed to report a treason offence and was remanded until the court hears his case next week. The arrest was publicly celebrated by the country’s military chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who posted photos of the lawyer in what appeared to be a blind‑folded state.
Opposition figure Bobi Wine, who fled after the 2024 presidential election, said Lukwago had been seized on Kainerugaba’s orders. He was to serve a summons on the army chief, according to Wine.
The lawyer’s family asked a court to force security officers to reveal his location and to release him «dead or alive» following the seizure.
Kainerugaba also claimed responsibility for the arrest and implied he would punish him for the “hurt and pain” he would inflict on the alleged “criminal Lukwago”.
Kainerugaba’s history includes claims of abduction and torture of opposition figures – his social media posts have been deleted in the past. The court case sits against the backdrop that Besigye had been jailed on treason charges after being abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024.
Besigye, who once served as Museveni’s personal doctor until he broke ranks in 1999, has run against the president in several elections and has repeatedly faced detentions.
The arrest of Lukwago underscores the growing tensions between Gov. Museveni’s security apparatus and the opposition.
