Exiled lawyer and author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has questioned the credibility of allegations that opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye was involved in a plan to blow up Café Javas in Kampala.
Kakwenza's remarks followed testimony by British-American national Andrew Wilson Orlando, a prosecution witness in the case against Besigye and his co-accused. Orlando told court that discussions surrounding an alleged plot to destabilise the government included a proposal to detonate a hand grenade at Café Javas along Acacia Avenue, a location he said was frequented by government officials.
In a statement, Kakwenza challenged the alleged political rationale behind such an attack, asking what objective Besigye would have achieved by targeting a restaurant.
He argued that the allegation was inconsistent with the image of Besigye that he and other Ugandans had encountered over the years, particularly his alleged insistence on restraint when some of his supporters considered confrontation or economic sabotage as possible avenues for political change.
Kakwenza said Besigye had previously rejected opportunities to embrace violence against President Yoweri Museveni's government and had instead discouraged others from pursuing violent approaches.
“Besigye is the same man who, years ago, restrained some of us whenever anger persuaded us that confrontation and economic sabotage offered a shortcut to political change,” Kakwenza said.
He questioned whether an attack on a restaurant could realistically have served as part of a wider revolutionary strategy.
Kakwenza also pointed to Besigye's earlier career as a medical doctor, noting that he had treated members of Uganda's political and military establishment before becoming one of Museveni's most prominent political opponents.
He said the prosecution's account therefore presented a sharp contrast with the Besigye known to many of his former colleagues and supporters.
The lawyer's comments come as Orlando's testimony becomes a major focus of the case. The witness has described himself as an undercover operative who used a purported offer of millions of dollars, weapons and military training to gain access to Besigye's circle and secretly record meetings.
Orlando has alleged that the discussions involved plans to overthrow the government, acquire weapons and create instability. He has also described covert recording equipment he allegedly used during meetings.
Kakwenza ended his statement by drawing a comparison between the current testimony and an earlier period in Besigye's legal and political battles, saying: “In 2005 it was Joanita Kyakuwa, 2026 it is Andy Wilson the white people.”
The allegations made by Orlando remain matters before court and have not been established as facts. Besigye and his co-accused are entitled to challenge the prosecution evidence as the trial proceeds.