The High Court has finally set August 6, 2025, as the date for the long-awaited bail hearing of Dr. Kizza Besigye and Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya.
The duo, facing charges of treason and misprision of treason, has been on remand at Luzira Prison for months, in what their supporters and legal team describe as a politically motivated detention that has now overstayed constitutional limits.
Justice Emmanuel Baguma, who has come under intense public scrutiny over alleged delays and reported concealment of the case file, made the announcement Wednesday a day after the leadership of Besigye’s People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) threatened direct action against what they termed as judicial inertia.
The decision marks a breakthrough for Besigye and Lutale’s legal team, led by Kenyan Senior Counsel Martha Karua, which has made repeated attempts to secure their release first applying for bail on April 22, then again in May.
Until now, the judiciary had remained unmoved, despite growing condemnation from political actors, legal associations, and human rights groups.
Legal experts say the delay violated Article 23(6) of Uganda’s Constitution, which entitles suspects to bail after 180 days in detention. That timeline has since elapsed.
The state has previously argued that releasing the two leaders could interfere with investigations. However, that justification has now lost weight.
The case has since been committed to the High Court, signaling the conclusion of police investigations a point PFF insists renders any further detention both unconstitutional and politically driven.
