By The treason case against opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Hajji Obeid Lutale, has been adjourned to June 26, 2025, as they await a ruling on whether trial Magistrate Christine Nantege will step down from the case due to allegations of bias and incompetence.
Latest
Police Arrest Nearly 100 in Kampala-Wakiso-Mukono Crackdown on Crime and Drug Abuse
Tensions Mount in Kakumiro as Leaders Accuse Josephat Tumwesigye of Stirring Tribal Division
BREAKING: Gov’t Temporarily Suspends EPS Auto Effective Midnight
Traffic Restrictions Announced Ahead of the Budget Reading
Government, Partners Intensify Fight Against Child Labour Ahead of World Day
Why Are Men Missing in Antenatal Clinics? A Gap in Reproductive Health Rights
Ministry of Health Dismisses Claims of COVID-19 Resurgence in Uganda
Prominent City Lawyer Twebaze Drake Remanded Over $553,500 Fraud Case
Former Ibanda District Officials Sentenced Over Illegal Land Sale
The two defendants, who have been on remand for over six months, have petitioned the Judicial Service Commission, accusing Magistrate Nantege of denying them their right to bail and failing to uphold constitutional provisions. The legal team, led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, has also formally requested the magistrate to recuse herself from further proceedings.
Speaking to reporters outside court, Lukwago sharply criticized the magistrate’s handling of the pre-trial process.
“We have taken two drastic steps,” he said. “One, to petition the Judicial Service Commission on grounds of incompetence and demonstration of bias; and two, to formally request her recusal from the case.”
Besigye and Lutale are facing treason charges — a capital offense that carries the death penalty upon conviction. Lukwago stressed that the seriousness of the charges demands impartial and competent judicial handling.
“This case touches on the lives of our clients,” Lukwago said. “We are dealing with a grave offense that requires strict adherence to constitutional guarantees and due process. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.”
He accused Magistrate Nantege of ignoring mandatory provisions under Article 23 of the Constitution and Section 76 of the Magistrates Courts Act, which requires that suspects held on remand for over 180 days must be granted bail or committed to the High Court.
“She has failed to even compute the remand period properly,” Lukwago said, referring to legal guidelines issued by the Chief Justice. “Her refusal to forward the file to the High Court for processing mandatory bail is a blatant violation of the law.”
Read Also
Director of Mukono School Killed in Alleged Abduction
Several Injured As Military, Police Raid NUP Headquarters
Twelve Arrested in Joint Security Operation in Mukono
Ssenyonyi Petitions Minister Over “Punitive and Exploitative” Traffic Penalty System
South Korean woman fined for pulling down male colleague’s trousers
NIRA Launches Mass ID Registration at Bulange
The Lord Mayor likened the current proceedings to those of the military General Court Martial, where Besigye and Lutale were previously arraigned before being transferred to the civilian justice system.
“We fought hard to leave what was effectively a kangaroo tribunal in the court-martial,” Lukwago said. “But now, even here, we are seeing the same disregard for legal standards.”
Magistrate Nantege has indicated that she will deliver her ruling on the recusal application on June 26.
