Left without lawyers, Kizza Besigye makes personal submission in court, raises concerns over procedural unfairness

Opposition politician Kizza Besigye on Tuesday made a personal submission before the High Court Criminal Division in Kampala, where he raised concerns over procedural fairness in his ongoing treason prosecution.

Besigye appeared before Justice Emmanuel Baguma alongside co-accused Hajji Obeid Lutale in a session that largely centered on preliminary applications and trial management issues.

During the proceedings, Besigye directly addressed the court and asked that it consider unresolved procedural matters he said were affecting his ability to fully prepare for trial. He urged that these issues be addressed before the case proceeds further.

Justice Baguma directed that the concerns be filed formally through written applications or handled within existing motions already on record. The court maintained that the issues could not be resolved through oral submissions at that stage.

Besigye’s submission focused on constitutional fair hearing rights under Article 28, including adequate time to prepare a defence, access to legal counsel, and timely disclosure of prosecution evidence.

His legal team echoed these concerns, citing limited confidential consultations in custody, delays in receiving full prosecution disclosure, and detention conditions that they say hinder preparation for trial. They also pointed to pending constitutional and human rights applications awaiting determination.

The case arises from treason and misprision of treason charges in Criminal Session Case No. 335 of 2025, in which Kizza Besigye, Lutale, and Capt. Denis Oola are accused of allegedly undermining state authority.

The defence continues to contest the charges, arguing that key procedural and evidential issues must be resolved before the substantive hearing can proceed.

The High Court is expected to issue further directions on the pending applications before the trial moves forward.