Leading Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye appeared in a military court in Kampala on Wednesday, his lawyer said, after his reported abduction in Nairobi, Kenya.
Besigye, 68, was brought to the General Court Martial in handcuffs and under a heavily armed military escort.
“Besigye has objected to his trial before the General Court Martial and informed the court chairman that he is a civilian who should not be tried in a military court,” his lawyer Erias Lukwago said.
The hearing was briefly adjourned after Besigye told the court that he did not have legal representation as he was incommunicado following his arrest, he added.
“As his lawyers, we stepped in to protect his rights but he had not given us a briefing for this particular case and we don’t know the charges he is facing at the moment.”
Besigye’s wife Winnie Byanyima, who is head of UNAIDS, the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, said on X that her husband was kidnapped Saturday while in Nairobi for a book launch by Kenyan opposition politician Martha Karua.
Dr Besigye, who was arrested in Nairobi, was charged alongside Hajj Obed Lutale Kamulegeya before the General Court Martial, a military court in the Makindye area of Kampala.
He was remanded after being charged with offences relating to security, illegal possession of two pistols and illegal possession of eight rounds of ammunition.
According to the charge sheet, the two committed the offences in Nairobi (Kenya), Athens (Greece) and Geneva (Switzerland) with the alleged intention of causing insecurity in Uganda.
According to the charge sheet, in October 2023 and November 2024, the two, together with others who are yet to be arrested, held meetings in the three capitals to solicit for resources to cause insecurity in Uganda.
The second charge stated that they were in possession of one pistol and eight rounds of pistol ammunition.
Speaking for the first time in court, Dr Besigye disclosed that he has been in complete isolation since his abduction and subsequent arrest.
“I was only informed that I was coming to court a few minutes ago,” said Dr. Besigye.
“I have not been in contact with any person since we were arrested from Nairobi. So I could not have attended a brief with the lawyers.”
He confirmed his intent to engage his legal team but admitted he has been unable to coordinate with them due to his isolation.
Friends and family raised the alarm when Dr. Besigye failed to appear at Martha Karua’s book launch the following day, where he was scheduled to deliver a keynote speech.
The Pan-African Opposition Leaders Solidarity Network, a coalition of opposition leaders across Africa, has accused Kenyan and Ugandan security agencies of orchestrating the alleged abduction.
In a press release, the group condemned the incident as a “deeply disturbing” violation of human rights and international law.
“We suspect that Dr Besigye may have been abducted after he was dropped at Riverside Apartments, most likely by Ugandan authorities working in cahoots with and facilitated by Kenyan authorities,” the network stated.
The network demanded the unconditional release of Dr Besigye and accountability from both Kenyan and Ugandan authorities.
“Why would governments connive to abduct their citizens across borders when they have the opportunity to make a formal arrest at home?” the coalition asked.
The Kenyan Government has however denied any involvement in the alleged abduction.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Sing’oei Korir said Kenya had no role in Besigye’s alleged arrest or deportation.
“There is no reason whatsoever for Kenya to be a party in his arrest, if any,” Korir said on Wednesday.
He had come to Nairobi to attend an event organized by Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua, Byanyima said.
Byanyima who is the executive director of Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), on Wednesday asked Uganda’s military to release her husband Besigye from military detention in Kampala where he’s reportedly being held.
He had gone missing in Nairobi where he came to attend a book launch by Karua.
The four-time presidential contender is said to have gone missing in Kenyan on Saturday.
Officials said that the veteran opposition leader was last seen on Saturday evening at an apartment complex on Riverside Drive in Nairobi.
He had been trailed and abducted before being driven to Uganda, almost 500 kilometers away.
“I request the government of Uganda to release my husband Dr Kizza Besigye from where he is being held immediately. He was kidnapped last Saturday while he was in Nairobi for Hon Martha Karua’s book launch. I am now reliably informed that he is in a military jail in Kampala. We his family and his lawyers demand to see him. He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?” Byanyima posted on her X handle on Wednesday.
Besigye had been booked to stay at a hotel in Hurlingham, which is about 15 minutes by car from the Riverside Drive apartment.
An official at the hotel said Besigye had not returned to the hotel since he left on Saturday.
His disappearance follows the July 23 arrest of 36 Ugandan activists associated with him in Kisumu before they were shipped to Uganda.
The political activists were abducted and ferried back to Uganda where they were charged with treason and remanded to Kitalya Prison.
The activists, who were recently released on bail, pleaded not guilty to the charges and said they were attending a workshop when they were arrested.
The 36 activists claim to have been tortured during their detention.
Kenya has been fighting the abduction claims saying all those being arrested are usually taken to gazzetted police stations for processing.
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