The State has presented evidence accusing People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) President Erias Lukwago of failing to report an alleged plot to overthrow the Government of Uganda by force of arms, in a case where he faces charges of misprision of treason.
Lukwago, a lawyer and former Kampala Lord Mayor, has been committed to the High Court for trial after the prosecution alleged that he had knowledge of a planned armed rebellion involving former presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale and other individuals, but failed to alert security authorities.
According to the indictment, the State alleges that Lukwago, by virtue of his position as leader of PFF, was aware of several meetings and engagements involving individuals accused of planning to use force to overthrow the government but did not take steps to report the alleged plans or prevent their execution.
The prosecution claims that Lukwago has throughout his political career been a critic of the ruling government and participated in political activities aimed at changing leadership in Uganda alongside Dr. Besigye, Ssemujju Nganda and Salaam Musumba, among others.
The indictment states that Dr. Besigye, a retired UPDF officer and founding member of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), has for years opposed the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government and has advocated for political change.
The State’s case largely relies on the alleged activities of Andrew Wilson, a private security company proprietor who prosecutors say became a key figure in investigations into the alleged plot.
According to court documents, Wilson was approached in 2021 by Joel Wakhaima, a Ugandan citizen based in Switzerland, who allegedly sought firearms, weapons and tactical training to support efforts to overthrow the government by force.
The prosecution alleges that Wilson rejected the proposal after realizing it was criminal and instead reported the matter to Ugandan authorities.
He however didnt reveal this to the accused.
“The UPDF officer requested AW to become a Government spy and to continue engaging JW in order to establish the details of the plot to overturn the Government of Uganda,” the State alleges in the indictment.
The prosecution says Wilson was later introduced to intelligence officers at the then Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), under whose supervision he continued engaging with the individuals allegedly involved while providing updates to authorities.
The State alleges that Wilson later interacted with several opposition figures, including Salaam Musumba, Ssemujju Nganda, Lubega Mukaku and Charles Rwomushana, during meetings where discussions about intelligence gathering and military support allegedly took place.
The indictment further claims that Wilson later met Dr. Besigye in Geneva, Switzerland, where discussions allegedly centred on acquiring military assistance, training recruits in intelligence and paramilitary tactics, and obtaining resources to destabilize the government.
The prosecution alleges that during subsequent meetings, including one held in Nairobi, Kenya, discussions involved weapons, drones, training and other alleged plans to attack government institutions.
“The accused person(Lukwago) knew that KB and Hajji Obeid Lutale, who are also members of PFF, travelled to Nairobi-Kenya and attended a meeting with AW whose sole aim was to overturn the Government of the Republic of Uganda, but he still did not report it to any authority in Uganda,” the State alleges.
The prosecution further claims that Lukwago was aware of meetings between Dr. Besigye, Lutale, Wakhaima and Wilson but deliberately failed to report them.
The State alleges that the group discussed several activities, including accessing military installations, acquiring weapons and other resources, as well as plans that prosecutors claim were aimed at destabilizing the government.
The indictment states that the prosecution has several pieces of evidence, including audio and video recordings allegedly made by Wilson during meetings, electronic communication records, travel documents and forensic reports.
According to the State, Wilson secretly recorded meetings and later handed over electronic devices and recordings to investigators for examination.
“AW covertly recorded both on video and audio all relevant meetings with KB, Hajji Obeid Lutale, JW and other conspirators and shared these recordings with intelligence officers,” the indictment states.
The prosecution also alleges that travel records obtained during investigations show that some individuals travelled outside Uganda during periods when the alleged meetings and training activities were said to have taken place.
The State contends that Lukwago acted together with others and had a common intention with individuals accused of planning treason.
“Prosecution shall contend that the accused person knew that KB, Hajji Obeid Lutale, Simon Rutarondwa, Joel Wakhaima and Frank Kihehere Atukunda were intending to commit treason but did not report it to any authority in Uganda or use reasonable endeavour to prevent the commission of treason,” the indictment states.
“The accused person(Lukwago) also knew that Joel Wakhaima and Frank Kihehere Atukunda approached Andrew Wilson, for assistance in a plot to overturn the Government of the Republic of Uganda by force of arms but did not report it to any authority in Uganda. The accused further knew that KB had approached Andrew Wilson and that the two (KB and AW) together with JW, had held several meetings in various
places in which they contrived a plot to overturn the Government of the Republic of Uganda by force of arms, but still did not report it to any authority in Uganda.”
