The security of the deputy head of the Criminal Division of the High Court Justice Emmanuel Baguma who is presiding over the criminal trial against opposition strongman Dr Kizza Besigye, his political assistant Hajji Obed Kamulegeya Lutale and UPDF Capt Denis Oola has been beefed up.
Security at Justice Baguma’s chambers and at his home has been doubled with other commandos in civilian clothes monitoring his movements
Restriction on accessing Justice Baguma has been also raised and on Friday morning, lawyers representing Dr Besigye faced a hard time to explain to security that all of them were supposed to be present in the judge’s chambers as their client’s matter was up for mention.
Security insisted that their team leader Ssalongo Erias Lukwago should lead only three lawyers into the judge’s chamber. However, Lukwago insisted that all lawyers must be allowed which forced the judge himself to intervene and direct that the lawyers should be allowed to enter.
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As lawyers entered the chambers, security insisted that one of the judge’s assistants directed them never to allow controversial lawyer Male Mabirizi to access his boss’ chambers.
Mabirizi being Mabirizi insisted on squeezing his way through. The judge intervened and ordered that he also should be allowed in. However, his phone was confiscated by security who argued that Mabirizi was a threat to the judge.
“For you, you’re a blogger, we are not going to allow you (to blog) because you want to film the proceedings and take pictures,” one of the security men said.
Sources in the judiciary said that Justice Baguma’s security was beefed up after Dr Besigye’s supporters openly threatened his life and his family by singing songs that he will die because of persecuting their principal.
State lawyers including Richard Birivumbuka who is leading the prosecution of the matter also expressed concern over similar threats.
As the matter proceeded, Justice Baguma apologized to lawyers over what happened to them and pleaded with them to handle the matter professionally without tarnishing each other’s image before the public since they all have families which are affected by these public attacks.
However, Lukwago and team were shocked when Justice Baguma told them that he was not ready to entertain their bail application noting that he previously adjourned the matter to Friday for mention and not for bail application.
At that moment, Lukwago who is Justice Baguma’s Old Boy at Kampala High Secondary school told him that on Thursday, he visited his clients and they instructed him to file a recusal application because they no longer have trust in him.
Lukwago told Justice Baguma that his clients were shocked by his decision to dismiss their mandatory bail application after spending more that 180 days on remand.
Lukwago added that his clients were shocked when they intentionally sat on their bail application until they put up a fight and forced him to hear it noting that with his demenour, they don’t expect fairness from.
In response, Justice Baguma told Besigye’s lawyers that he has no problem with recusing himself from their client’s matter. He advised them to put their application in writing by the end of Friday so that it is fixed on Tuesday next week for him to give his final decision on whether he will recuse himself from their matter or not.
However, he assured the lawyers that he is ready to preside over the case and has fixed it for hearing starting from 1st September, 2025
As he was boasting of how ready he is to entertain the trial, Lukwago also raised another issue that Justice Baguma doesn’t have jurisdiction to handle their client’s case because the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Justice Jane Frances Abodo committed them to the Crimes War Division of the High Court not the Criminal Division of the High Court.
Justice Baguma noted that he was not aware of the development and wondered why Lukwago and his friends don’t want the matter to be heard.
He asked Thomas Jatiko from the DPP to clarify but he was also not sure of which Division of the High Court Besigye and his co-accused persons were going to be tried from.
Through his X handle, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba the Chief of Défense Forces(CFD) noted that Besigye should not be released on bail but be tried first.
Dr Besigye and Lutale were kidnapped in Kenya by Ugandan operatives on allegations that they were planning to assassinate President Museveni and poison other top government officials.
State is preparing a number of witnesses including opposition politicians and security operatives to support the prosecution’s case.
