The decision by Uganda’s High Court to proceed with the treason trial of opposition figure Kizza Besigye has triggered sharp reactions, with journalist Andrew Irumba leading criticism over the conduct of the proceedings.
On Monday, presiding judge Emmanuel Baguma dismissed applications seeking to halt the trial and directed that the case proceed.
The court further ordered that Besigye be assigned a state-funded lawyer after his legal team was rendered unavailable.
The ruling has drawn scrutiny, particularly over the optics of the state playing multiple roles in the same case.
“I speak what others fear,” Irumba said in a strongly worded reaction following the court session.
“So ‘Justice’ Baguma wants the state, which is the complainant, to provide Kizza Besigye with lawyers. On one side, the state will be fighting to convict him, and at the same time, defending him.”
Irumba likened the situation to a contradictory contest, arguing that it undermines the credibility of the justice process.
“It is like two teams from the same country playing against each other in a World Cup final,” he remarked, questioning the fairness of the arrangement.
During Monday’s proceedings, the court rejected claims by the defence that Besigye had been unlawfully abducted from Nairobi and denied due process.
The judge ruled that the objections were unsubstantiated and intended to delay the trial.
Despite the court’s position, critics insist the developments raise serious constitutional and ethical concerns. Irumba went further to question the broader integrity of the judicial system.
“We’re mocking the temple of justice,” he said. “Taxpayers’ money is being wasted in a process whose outcome appears predetermined.”
The trial, which also involves co-accused individuals, is expected to continue amid heightened political tension and regional attention.