Recent CCTV footage has surfaced showing Uganda's opposition figure Kizza Besigye inside a lift in Nairobi just before his abduction and deportation back to Uganda in November 2024.
Besigye was arrested and arraigned at the Makindye General Military Court Martial in Kampala on November 20, 2024, alongside his associate Haji Obeid Lutale. They faced charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The prosecution alleged that on November 16, while at Riverside Apartment in Nairobi, Besigye and Lutale were found with eight rounds of pistol ammunition, considered exclusive to the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF). Additionally, they were accused of holding meetings in Nairobi, Athens, and Geneva to organize logistical support and identify military targets within Uganda, actions said to threaten national security.
Besigye's legal team, led by lawyer Erias Lukwago, challenged the charges, arguing the military court lacked jurisdiction over alleged offenses committed outside Uganda. Lukwago requested the court to dismiss the charges as defective and invalid.
However, the court, presided over by Freeman Mugabe, rejected the application to release Besigye and ordered his detention at Luzira Prison until December 2 to allow further investigations.
At the time of his arrest, Besigye was in Kenya attending a book fair hosted by Martha Karua, the leader of the NARC Kenya party.
