Uganda: Besigye Trial Resumes With His Physical Presence Still in Doubt

What the report says

The treason trial of Ugandan opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye is set to continue before the High Court in Kampala, with uncertainty still hanging over whether he will appear in person. According to Nile Post, the hearing comes as prosecutors move from their main witness, British-American security investigator Andrew Wilson, to a second witness, Dr. Medadi Erisa Ssentanda of Makerere University.

The report says the court previously granted what Justice Emmanuel Baguma described as a final adjournment after prosecutors failed to appear on time. Ssentanda is expected to be questioned about transcription work on audio and video recordings that the prosecution wants to use as evidence. The university was reportedly paid to transcribe material from a flash disk supplied by the Criminal Investigations Directorate, while the defence is challenging whether the device and the transcript can be reliably linked.

Wilson’s testimony has been central to the case so far. The article says he described covert recordings and a November 2024 operation in Nairobi that led to Besigye’s arrest, while the defence has disputed parts of his account and the handling of evidence. Besigye, along with Obeid Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola, faces allegations that meetings in several countries were part of a plan to overthrow the government; all three deny the charges. The case remains significant because it tests both the prosecution’s evidence and the court’s handling of a politically sensitive trial.