Lukwago Denied Bail Over Flight Risk, Witness Interference

What the report says

Nile Post reported that the High Court has refused to grant bail to Erias Lukwago, the former Kampala Lord Mayor and People’s Front for Freedom leader, in a case where he is charged with misprision of treason. The ruling, delivered on July 30 by Justice David Matovu, means Lukwago remains on remand at Luzira Prison while awaiting trial in High Court Criminal Session Case No. 335 of 2025.

According to the report, the court accepted prosecution arguments that the seriousness of the offence and the possibility of witness interference weighed against release. State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo argued that misprision of treason under Section 25 of the Penal Code Act can attract a life sentence, which the court considered relevant when assessing whether Lukwago might return for trial. Prosecutors also said Lukwago’s profile as a senior lawyer and politician, and his acquaintance with named prosecution witnesses including Col. Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale, could affect the proceedings if he were freed.

The article said the court also considered, but did not find decisive, a medical report from five Mulago National Referral Hospital consultants recommending specialized spinal treatment in India. Justice Matovu found that the health evidence and the presumption of innocence did not override concerns about attendance and trial integrity. Prosecutors had also questioned the suitability of four proposed sureties: advocates Chrisestom Katumba and Abdul Sewankambo, and MPs Betty Nambooze and Moses Kasibante.

Nile Post reported that Lukwago was charged on June 17 at Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court over an alleged failure to report a plot to overthrow the government between 2021 and November 2024, before being committed to the High Court for trial.