Just in: Former Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago Denied Bail

[Eronda]

The Chief Magistrates Court of Makindye has rejected a bail application by the President of the People's Front for Freedom (PFF), Erias Lukwago, who is facing charges of misprision of treason.

Lukwago, 56, a Senior Advocate and former Lord Mayor of Kampala, appeared before Chief Magistrate Sarah Anne Basemera on Monday, June 23 following his earlier plea.

The prosecution alleges that between 2021 and November 2024, across various places including Kampala and Nairobi, Kenya, Lukwago knew that high-profile opposition leaders—including Col. (Rtd.) Dr. Kizza Besigye, Joel Wakayima, Frank Kihere Atukunda, and Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya—intended to commit treason but deliberately failed to inform authorities or prevent the crime.

Through his legal team led by Mr Medard Sseggona, Lukwago applied for bail on grounds of the presumption of innocence, having a fixed place of abode in Wakaliga, and chronic medical conditions requiring specialized care. He presented three prominent Members of Parliament as sureties: Betty Aol Ocan, Michael Phillip Lulume Bayiga, and Betty Bakireke Nambooze.

State Attorneys Judith Nyamwiza, Caroline Opia, and Gabriel Obua strongly opposed the application. They argued that the severity of the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, creates an incentive for abscondment. They further claimed that investigations are ongoing and that Lukwago's immense political and professional stature could enable him to interfere with witnesses.

In her ruling, Ms Basemera cleared the proposed sureties, declaring them substantial and dismissing the state's objections regarding their age, political hierarchy, or geographical distance. She similarly validated Lukwago’s fixed place of residence.

However, the Magistrate agreed with the prosecution on the gravity of the offence and the risks surrounding ongoing investigations. She noted that misprision of treason is a unique, serious allegation intrinsically tied to national security and public order, carrying a hefty life imprisonment term.

Basemera concluded that Lukwago's high public profile, extensive political network, and legal standing create a realistic risk to the integrity of the ongoing investigation. Weighing the nature of the allegations occurring over a three-year period across borders against his right to liberty, the court determined that the interests of justice mandate keeping the PFF leader on remand pending trial.

Source: Daily Monitor