High Court declines to grant Lukwago bail
“In the final result, and considering the missing medical report duly certified by a person authorised in law. The application is hereby dismissed,” Matovu ruled.
former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has been denied bail. (File photo)
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The High Court in Kampala has declined to grant bail to former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, who is battling a charge of misprision of treason.
In a ruling delivered today, Thursday (July 30), Justice David Matovu of the Criminal Division of the High Court said he could not grant bail to Lukwago without a medical report certified by a prison medical officer confirming that his medical conditions could not be managed by prison medical services.
“In the final result, and considering the missing medical report duly certified by a person authorised in law. The application is hereby dismissed,” Matovu ruled.
The judge also noted that Lukwago's application had been filed in relation to a case before the Makindye Chief Magistrates Court, which had ceased to exist after he was committed to the High Court for trial.
The judge stated that the Deputy Registrar of the High Court is yet to allocate the newly committed case file relating to the applicant to any particular judge.
“This court will exercise its discretion by not granting bail in order to give whichever judge that will be allocated this matter to effectively manage the case,” he said.
Lukwago was charged before the Makindye Chief Magistrates Court on June 17, 2026, with misprision of treason. He denied the charges and was remanded to Luzira Murchison Bay Prison.
He subsequently applied for bail before the Chief Magistrate, but the application was not granted. Instead, the magistrate ordered that he be taken to Mulago National Referral Hospital for medical attention.
The sureties included Gulu city woman MP Betty Aol Ocan, former Buikwe South MP Dr Michael Bayiga Lulume, Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze Bakireke and Lukwago's elder brother, Hajji Abdul Sewankambo.
Sewankambo is the administrator of the estate of their late father, Muhamood Mirundi.
The defence team argued that Lukwago's deteriorating health warranted his release on bail.
Lukwago told the court that he suffers from severe spinal complications resulting from a previous neck surgery in which artificial disc implants were inserted.
He stated that specialists at Mulago National Referral Hospital were unable to conduct a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan because they could not ascertain the compatibility of the implanted discs.
Lukwago submitted that doctors carried out a CT scan, which reportedly revealed additional complications requiring urgent review by the neurosurgeons in India who performed the original procedure.
“The specialists recommended that I be taken to India for further evaluation and treatment. I need to be in India now if my life is to be saved,” Lukwago stated.
Lukwago further told the court that he suffers from chronic lung complications, making it difficult for him to breathe, particularly in poorly ventilated environments.
However, the prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo, argued that Lukwago is a flight risk and could interfere with witnesses if released on bail. The prosecution also argued that Lukwago's sureties were not substantial.
“Lukwago could abscond and frustrate the hearing of the case if released on bail,” Kyomuhendo argued.
He submitted that the charge against Lukwago is serious and attracts a maximum sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction, giving him an incentive to flee the court's jurisdiction.
Allegations
According to the prosecution, Lukwago concealed information about an alleged plot by his client, four-time presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye, and his aide, Obeid Lutale, to commit treason. The offence of misprision of treason attracts life imprisonment upon conviction.
The prosecution further alleges that Lukwago withheld information from government authorities regarding the alleged involvement of Joel Wakayima and Frank Tuhaire Atukunda in the purported treason plot.
Lukwago is among the lawyers representing Besigye and Lutale, who are charged with treason and misprision of treason alongside Capt. Denish Oyaa Oola of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF), attached to the Armoured Brigade. The offences attract a maximum sentence of death upon conviction.
The treason trial of Besigye and his co-accused has commenced before Justice Emmanuel Baguma of the Criminal Division of the High Court.