By Swift Reporter
Opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye has dismissed President Yoweri Museveni’s claims that he has been frustrating his own treason trial, insisting that he is prepared to face court once unresolved issues surrounding his legal representation are addressed.
Besigye made the remarks on Monday as the High Court began hearing the treason case against him and his co-accused, Obeid Lutale, in proceedings presided over by Justice Emmanuel Baguma.
The former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader told court that the delay in starting the trial was not deliberate but a result of obstacles affecting his ability to access and work with his defence team.
Besigye said his priority was to secure effective legal representation, arguing that a fair trial could not proceed without meaningful access to his lawyers and case documents.
“Our request is to have the issue of representation resolved. Once that is done we shall have access to the disclosure. Hopefully by then we shall have had a record of proceedings and we shall be ready for trial. Nobody wants to stay in prison,” Besigye told court.
Besigye raised concerns over what he described as difficulties facing his defence team, including the arrest of his lead lawyer, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, and the deportation of Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua.
He told court that these developments had affected his ability to prepare adequately for the case.
“Fair hearing requires us to have representation through lawyers of our case. But that belief we have in that right is clearly in question,” he said.
Besigye also told court that he and Lutale had not been granted sufficient access to their lawyers while in Luzira Prison to review evidence and prepare their defence.
“We have not been allowed up to today to sit with our lawyers in Luzira to get disclosure of evidence given to them,” he said.
He added that the defence had also not received records of previous court proceedings, which he said were necessary for preparation.
Besigye’s comments came days after President Museveni accused him of deliberately delaying the trial since his arrest in November 2024.
During a televised national address on July 4, Museveni questioned why Besigye, whom he described as a democracy activist, had not taken the opportunity to defend himself in court.
“Why would this democrat and human rights fighter spend so many calories on refusing to come for trial where he has an opportunity to prove his innocence?” Museveni asked.
The President also criticised the justice system for allowing what he described as prolonged delays in bringing the case to trial.
But appearing before Justice Baguma, Besigye rejected the accusations, saying the delays were linked to unresolved legal challenges rather than an attempt to avoid trial.
He told court that he had already filed an application seeking remedies over representation issues, but that the matter had not yet been resolved.
“The following day July 4th, Mr Museveni addressed the country touching on the matters before this case,” Besigye said.
Besigye sought permission to respond directly to Museveni’s remarks, arguing that they affected his right to a fair hearing.
However, Justice Baguma declined to allow the discussion, saying the court would focus only on issues directly affecting the conduct of the hearing.
“That will not happen. Today is the day of the case hearing. I want to hear the challenges you are facing regarding legal representation,” the judge said.
Besigye maintained that the President’s comments were part of the challenges facing the defence because they related to the ongoing trial.
“Precisely, this is one of the challenges because the statements that were made touch on this hearing,” he responded.
The judge, however, insisted that the court would not delve into Museveni’s address and directed proceedings back to the question of legal representation.
The hearing opened with Besigye and Lutale being brought from Luzira Prison. Besigye appeared in court wearing handcuffs, prompting Justice Baguma to order prison officers to remove them before addressing him.
Besigye told court that he had been brought under duress before raising concerns about his representation.
The case will now proceed with focus on whether the accused persons have adequate legal representation and access to the information required to prepare their defence.
Besigye maintained that he remains ready to face trial once those concerns are resolved, saying his objective is not to delay proceedings but to ensure the process meets constitutional standards of a fair hearing.
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