politics
Uganda Court Hears Prosecution Bid to Hide Identities of Witnesses in Besigye Treason Trial
Ugandan prosecutors told a court on Wednesday that opposition politician Kizza Besigye and two co-accused threatened six of ten planned state witnesses through an alleged accomplice. Chief State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo testified during cross-examination that the threats, which emerged in 2025, exist in electronic format identified by a forensic expert.
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Prosecutors in Uganda's treason case against veteran opposition politician Kizza Besigye accused him and his co-accused of threatening state witnesses, as a hearing continued Wednesday on an application to conceal the identities of six out of ten witnesses the state intends to rely on.
The allegations emerged during the cross-examination of Chief State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo, who had sworn an affidavit supporting the application. AllAfrica reported that the threats reportedly emerged in 2025, yet the prosecution filed its application only in March 2026, more than two months after an order requiring disclosure of evidence had been issued.
The court, presided over by Criminal Division Judge Emmanuel Baguma, heard the case against Besigye, his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale, and Captain Denis Oola. Joseph Kyomuhendo alleged that the accused persons, through an alleged accomplice identified as Frank Kihehere, had issued threats to harm prosecution witnesses.
He told the court that the threats were actual and existed in electronic format, identified with the help of a forensic expert whose identity he declined to disclose.
Frank Kihehere allegedly issued threats to all six witnesses the prosecution now seeks to protect. Joseph Kyomuhendo argued that Besigye and his co-accused are likely to cause harm to the witnesses and their loved ones. He suggested that even Besigye himself could be among individuals the prosecution may consider for witness protection, although he did not elaborate.
During intense cross-examination by defense lawyers including Erias Lukwago, Bayan Turinawe, and Ernest Kalibala, Joseph Kyomuhendo declined to reveal how the electronic evidence was stored, downloaded, or transcribed. He refused to name the individuals involved in the process of handling the electronic evidence.
