The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has issued a production warrant ordering the Uganda Prisons Services to present Col. (Retired) Dr. Kizza Besigye before the court for the continuation of his trial on charges of inciting violence.
The warrant was issued on Thursday, December 5, 2024, by Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko, following a request from the prosecution.
State Attorney Allan Mucunguzi made the request after Besigye failed to appear in court for the case, in which he faces charges alongside opposition politician Samuel Lubega Mukaaku.
The court was first addressed by lawyer Abubaker Ssekanjako, who was standing in for Erias Lukwago. Ssekanjako explained that Mukaaku was present, but Besigye, the primary suspect, was absent due to his current detention following his abduction in Nairobi and subsequent arraignment before the General Court Martial.
Ssekanjako justified Besigye’s absence, but Mucunguzi pointed out that Ssekanjako had not provided information on the specific prison where Besigye was remanded, making it difficult to arrange for his production in court.
The prosecution had prepared witnesses to testify, including Police Officer Detective Stephen Oryema, who was present at the crime scene.
As a result, the court set a new date for Besigye’s production on January 9, 2025.
Besigye was arrested in Nairobi last month, alongside Haji Obeid Lutale, and charged with unlawful possession of ammunition and firearms, as well as offenses related to treason.
He was remanded until December 9, 2024, but still faces the separate inciting violence charges in the Buganda Road Magistrate’s Court, where he has been on bail for two years without the trial being concluded.