No court appearance without Karua, Lukwago — Besigye

The unexpected boycott brought proceedings to a standstill and drew attention from trial judge Emmanuel Baguma, who demanded an explanation for the defence team’s absence, with the veteran opposition figure (Besigye) saying, “I would rather rot in jail,” insisting he would not participate in the trial unless represented by lawyers of his choice.

The veteran opposition figure told the judge he would rather remain behind bars than proceed without Kenyan senior counsel Martha Karua and former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago leading his defence. (New Vision/Files)