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- Dec 16, 2025
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British-American national Andrew Wilson, also known as “Orlando,” has told the High Court in Kampala that Dr Kizza Besigye arrived at a private meeting in Nairobi with two pistols loaded with live ammunition.
Wilson made the allegation on Monday while continuing his testimony in the ongoing treason trial against Besigye and his co-accused, Hajj Obeid Lutale and Capt Denis Oola.
The meeting was held at Riverside Apartments in Nairobi on November 16, 2024, the same day Besigye and Lutale were arrested in Kenya before being taken to Uganda.
Wilson, who has been the prosecution’s key witness for about a month, told court that he and an unidentified associate were angered by Besigye’s decision to bring the firearms to the meeting. He said he personally unloaded the pistols after finding them seemingly poorly maintained, saying he wanted to prevent an accidental discharge.
He said he remained puzzled about why Besigye had brought the weapons to the meeting.
The meeting also touched on the alleged disciplining of Joel Wakhayima, who had previously accompanied Besigye to meetings in Geneva. Wilson said there was a belief that Wakhayima had leaked information concerning alleged military training in Kisumu, Kenya, where 36 Ugandans had earlier been arrested.
Wilson’s recordings
•The prosecution has been relying heavily on audio and video recordings Wilson says he secretly made during meetings involving Besigye and others in Athens, Geneva and Nairobi between 2023 and 2024.
•The Nairobi meeting is contained in two audio recordings lasting about one hour and 50 minutes in total. Wilson said he briefly confronted Kenyan police officers during Besigye’s arrest but managed to leave, while his associate remained behind.
•He did not, however, explain how he later recovered the recording devices after previously telling court that some equipment had been taken into Kenyan authorities’ possession.
•Wilson had earlier told court that video evidence from the Nairobi meeting was lost during the scuffle surrounding the arrests.
•Interestingly, despite the prosecution's allegations, neither Besigye nor Lutale can be heard objecting or expressing dissent in the audio played in court. Lutale's voice only appears at the beginning, when he exchanges pleasantries with the other participants.
•Wilson is expected to face cross-examination on September 15, particularly from lawyers representing Lutale, after completing his presentation of the recordings.
Besigye absent from trial
•The trial is proceeding without Besigye, who has been in custody since his arrest in November 2024.
The High Court allowed the trial to proceed in his absence after prison authorities said he had declined to attend physically despite being offered virtual participation. His co-accused Lutale disputed that account, saying Besigye had been hospitalised.
Besigye collapsed during a court appearance in July and was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital after reportedly becoming unconscious.
His absence has also been linked to the continuing dispute over his legal representation. Besigye has insisted on being represented by his preferred lawyers, including Kenyan Senior Counsel Martha Karua and Erias Lukwago, rather than lawyers appointed by the State. Karua has been barred from entering Uganda, while Lukwago is himself on remand facing a treason-related charge.
Besigye, Lutale and Capt Denis Oola are facing treason charges in the High Court in Kampala.
Prosecution alleges that they held meetings in Uganda and abroad, including in Geneva, Athens, Nairobi and Kampala, as part of a plan to overthrow the government by force. The State alleges that the meetings involved efforts to obtain funding, weapons and military training.
The prosecution has also alleged that Besigye and his associates discussed military equipment, including missiles, poison, counterfeit currency and plans to use violence against the government. The accused have denied the allegations.
Wilson’s testimony is therefore continuing to form a central part of the prosecution case, with the court now examining recordings and accounts of meetings that the State says demonstrate the alleged plot.
Source: Nile post UG