The military has officially transferred former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago to regular police custody, dropping him off at the Kira Division Police Station on Wednesday morning.
The development comes just a day after the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, publicly promised to release the prominent opposition lawyer following intense pressure from the public, political parties, and legal bodies. Lukwago had been held incommunicado since Monday morning when elite armed operatives raided his Wakaliga residence.
Police Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke confirmed the transfer, stating that Lukwago is currently detained at the facility on grave allegations of treason and misprision of treason.
According to police authorities, the decision to hold the veteran politician at Kira Division follows his handover by military security agencies who executed his initial arrest.
Rusoke told reporters that he can confirm Lukwago was dropped at Kira Division Police Station this morning, where he is currently being detained on charges of treason and misprision of treason.
Sources within the security establishment revealed that Lukwago’s arrest was triggered after his name featured prominently among top opposition officials who are alleged to have participated in clandestine meetings aiming to subvert and overthrow the Government of Uganda.
The transition from military confinement to standard police cells satisfies a key part of Gen. Muhoozi’s previous commitment to remove the attorney from uncoordinated security basements and hand him over to the relevant civil investigators.
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If the state proceeds with formal arraignment in court, Lukwago will join his primary legal client, veteran four-time presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye, in the dock. Lukwago has been serving as the lead defense counsel for Besigye and his political aide, Hajj Obeid Lutale, since their recent detention.
The state’s case against the opposition group rests on a detailed nine-page indictment prepared by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The prosecution alleges that between 2023 and 2024, the suspects held a series of unauthorized, subversive meetings in foreign cities including Geneva, Switzerland; Athens, Greece; and Nairobi, Kenya, as well as locations within Uganda, to mobilize an armed rebellion.
Specific state claims allege that Besigye traveled to Geneva to solicit financial and logistical support from foreign intelligence operatives, including securing funding to transport dozens of recruits to Kisumu, Kenya, for specialized paramilitary training. Capt. Denis Oola Oola, a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer attached to the Armoured Brigade, is also charged alongside the civilian politicians.
Legal associates and members of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) who rushed to Kira Division Police Station upon hearing the news expressed mixed reactions. While relieved that Lukwago is finally out of unacknowledged military custody and alive, they strongly condemned the state’s move to slap treason charges on a practicing human rights attorney.
Defense lawyers noted that criminalizing a lead attorney representing political suspects is an orchestrated attempt to cripple Dr. Besigye’s legal defense framework ahead of the upcoming June 30 court date.
The team added that they are preparing to challenge the legality of his detention and will push for his immediate access to legal counsel, medical doctors, and family members, as investigators finalize the processing of his case file for court entry.
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