Why Dr. Besigye and Haji Lutalo were charged in court martial

Dr Besigye, Hajj Obed Lutale Charged Over Ammunition, Remanded

By Angel Lubowa

MAKINDYE

THE four time presidential candidate , Dr Kiiza Besigye and his close confidant and friend, Hajj Obedi Lutale have been charged at the general court martial in Makindye and remanded.

The two were reportedly abducted in Kenya’s capital Nairobi over the weekend and repatriated to Uganda.

They were Wednesday 20,2024 allegedly charged with matters relating to security, illegal possession of two pistols and illegal possession of eight rounds of ammunition.
These charges contravenes various sections of the UPDF act.

Court heard that they committed the alleged charges in Nairobi ( Kenya), Athens (Greece) and Geneva ( Switzerland) where they allegedly sat meetings aimed at identifying military targets in Uganda and recruiting for the same

They arrived at court under military tight security at around 1pm to awaiting team of lawyers headed by the Lord Mayor of Kampala, Hajj Erias Lukwago and politicians mainly from FDC Katonga.
Entry to the court premises to the general public and Media had been restricted.

Dr Besigye, in a navy-blue suit and pink-grey striped shirt, smiled broadly and waved his two-finger political symbol to party members and well-wishers who had camped at the court since morning.

Before charges were slapped to them, Besigye complained to the court head , Brig Freeman Mugabe that he needed to get a legal counsel since he had not been able to access them and also wondered their appearance at court martial yet they are not soldiers.The court therefore was adjourned for about 15 minutes for him to talk to his lawyers.

When court resumed the charges were readout and they were remanded.
However lawyer Lukwago faulted the whole process in his brief submissions saying the matter was defective since neither the court martial or the army had the jurisdictions of the areas were the said charges were committed.

When Besigye was reportedly said to be missing since Saturday from Nairobi, his wife Winnie Byanyima was quick to put on her X that her husband was abducted in Nairobi and was being locked up under a military facility in Kampala.

Besigye and Lutale, had reportedly gone to attend Kenyan opposition figure Martha Karua’s book launch.

Recently about 36 members of Besigye’s Katonga FDC party were allegedly arrested and deported from Kisumu , Kenya attending allegedly attending a workshop and we’re later charged with treason.