After mass withdrawal of defense team, Obeid Lutale calls up daughter in treason trial

Kampala, Uganda | URN | Following the arrest of Erias Lukwago, the deportation of Martha Karua and mass withdrawal of the other defense lawyers, treason suspect Obeid Lutale has turned to his daughter to represent him in front of the trial judge Emmanuel Baguma.

Mariam Lutale, the daughter of treason suspect Obeid Lutale, has joined a four-member legal team representing her father in the High Court treason trial. Lutale is jointly charged with former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye and Captain Denis Oola.

Mariam, who previously attracted attention after becoming emotional and protesting some of the court decisions about the trial, will now represent her father, alongside Obeid’s younger brother Farouk Kizito Kamulegeya, Wilson Kato and Sylas Ogul, all from Baraka Legal Associated Advocates,

Trial judge Emmanuel Baguma said the court had received a letter dated August 24, 2026, in which Lutale formally instructed the four lawyers to represent him.

The two had initially been represented by a large team of lawyers led by Kenyan Senior Counsel Martha Karua and former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. But they were left without their preferred legal teams following the arrest of Erias Lukwago and the deportation of Martha Karua.

Following these developments, the rest of the lawyers representing Besigye and Lutale began withdrawing from the case, citing alleged harassment and intimidation and the failure to guarantee their safety.

With the accused persons’ preferred lawyers no longer available, Justice Baguma directed the High Court Registrar to provide them with a list of advocates available on state brief so that they could select lawyers to represent them.

Besigye and Lutale resisted the arrangement, prompting the court to appoint Sylvia Namawejje Ebitu, Julius Sserwambala and Sarah Awero to represent them on state brief. Lutale and Besigye rejected the court-appointed lawyers. Oola, however, accepted them on condition that they work alongside his preferred lawyer, Major Simon Busagwa.

The trial subsequently proceeded with the prosecution’s first witness, Andrew Wilson, a private security investigator whom the State alleges was involved in efforts to facilitate the acquisition of military weapons and the training of a group of about 60 people in military skills for purposes of overthrowing the government.

Wilson has spent several days testifying and playing audio and video recordings in court. Attempts to challenge the continuation of the proceedings without Lutale’s preferred lawyers were unsuccessful when Justice Simon Peter Kinobe previously ruled that the accused and their lawyers had not exhausted alternative ways of participating in the proceedings, including through Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms.

Another lawyer, Bayern Turinawe, has also indicated an interest in representing the accused. However, his position in the case remained unclear as of Tuesday, with the court expected to hear from him after a 30-minute break. Turinawe had previously represented Besigye before withdrawing his instructions.

There have also been unverified reports of disagreements within Lutale’s family over the conduct of the trial, particularly why he remained without legal representation despite the family’s access to lawyers.

Meanwhile, Wilson continued with his testimony on Tuesday, playing lengthy audio recordings of meetings allegedly held in Geneva.

Among the recordings played in court were discussions allegedly concerning the use of counterfeit currency to destabilise Uganda’s economy, the training of about 50 people in military skills and the alleged movement of Joel Wakayima to Kisumu, Kenya, for military training.

The prosecution alleges that Wakayima obtained a Zambian passport with Besigye’s assistance and used it to travel to Kisumu, where the training was expected to take place.

The recordings being played in court relate to a meeting allegedly held in Geneva on October 29, 2023, involving Wilson, Wakayima, Besigye and Frank Kihehere. The court is expected to hear additional audio and video recordings from another alleged meeting held in Geneva on January 28, 2024.

The prosecution alleges that the three held meetings in Uganda, Kenya, Greece and Switzerland as part of efforts to mobilise funding, acquire weapons and organise paramilitary activities.

The State further alleges that Besigye met a suspected Kurdish intelligence operative identified as Wilson and received US$5,000 to facilitate the transportation of 36 Ugandans to Kisumu, Kenya, for military training. The alleged recruits were reportedly intercepted and deported before the training could take place.

The prosecution also alleges that Besigye sought to acquire surface-to-air missiles, ricin poison and counterfeit currency and planned to use drone technology to assassinate President Yoweri Museveni.

The State says it intends to rely on witness testimony, audio and video recordings, social media communications, immigration records and telephone data as evidence in the trial.