Opposition leader Kizza Besigye on Wednesday challenged the practicality of selecting legal representation from a state-provided list of 786 advocates, telling the court he lacked sufficient information to make an informed choice.
Appearing before Emmanuel Baguma, Besigye said the list—received at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday—contained only basic details, including names, years of enrolment, areas of practice and contact information.
He argued that this fell short of what is required to assess the competence of lawyers capable of handling his case.
“My Lord, it is an extensive list of 786 advocates, and I respectfully seek the Court’s guidance on how best to make a selection from it while the underlying questions concerning our legal representation remain unresolved,” Besigye submitted.
He emphasized the complexity of the charges, noting that the case spans alleged events across four countries and involves technical and electronic evidence.
According to him, such circumstances demand highly specialized legal expertise.
“It is vital, in selecting counsel, that we understand the respective competencies of the advocates named on the list, so that, guided by those competencies, we may make an informed selection,” he said.
Besigye further pointed out that the information provided does not indicate the advocates’ track record or specific capabilities in handling cases of similar magnitude.
He asked the court to guide how the accused can establish the suitability of the listed lawyers.
At the same time, the former presidential candidate reiterated his preference for his original legal team, stating that he retains full confidence in their ability to represent him.
He noted that the team remains available, pending resolution of security concerns affecting its members.
Those concerns, he said, are the subject of Application No. 248 currently before the High Court. He reminded the court that the matter was filed last month and directly impacts the ongoing proceedings.
“Having said that, I wish to reiterate our earlier submission: the legal team we had is one in whose competence we placed full confidence,” Besigye stated.
In a final submission, he raised concerns about public expenditure, arguing that it would be unjust to burden Ugandan taxpayers with legal costs when he is willing and able to hire counsel of his choice.
“It would be an injustice to the people of Uganda to bear the cost of counsel on our behalf… more so in these hard times, when people are dying of hunger,” he said.