Buganda Road Magistrate Court has ordered police to immediately arrest Dr. Kizza Besigye, the former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president, and his co-accused, Lubega Samuel Mukaaku, for failing to appear in court.
The duo was to appear in court on Thursday, July 28, 2023, for a further hearing of their case, in which they are accused of inciting violence.
Their lawyer, Matovu Musa, claimed that the two were out of the country. However, the senior state prosecutor, Ivan Kyazze, disagreed, saying there is no evidence to support his claim, warranting the trial magistrate, Asuman Muhumuza, to issue an arrest warrant for the duo.
According to Matovu, the ruling was irregular because it had lost track on February 27, 2023.
“Today we received a ruling whereby the trial Magistrate said that the two accused persons [Besigye and Mukaaku] should be arrested. A warrant of arrest was issued against them, and criminal summons were issued against all their sureties. To me, I’m seeing it as an irregular ruling because I intimated to the trial Magistrate that the matter had lost track on February 27, 2023,” said Matovu.
In accordance with court documents, Besigye and Mukaaku are scheduled to appear in court on August 27, 2023.
The duo was arrested while addressing traders about the need to protest against the skyrocketing prices of commodities in the country in mid-2022.
It is alleged that the accused, without any legal justification, addressed members of the public at an assembly, hinting that it would be good for them to demonstrate and that doing so could result in violence and property destruction.