Eronda
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- Dec 16, 2025
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Makerere University received UGX 59.3 million from the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) to transcribe more than 25 hours of audio and video recordings allegedly linked to a treason case involving Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, the High Court in Kampala has heard.
Testifying before Criminal Division Judge Emmanuel Baguma on Thursday, prosecution witness Medadi Ssentanda Erisa, a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator for Languages and Communication Services at Makerere University's Department of African Languages, Literature and Communication, said the recordings were delivered on September 5, 2025, by CID for transcription.
Ssentanda told the court that the files were contained on a flash drive enclosed in a CID-marked envelope. Upon reviewing the recordings, his office established that they ran for a combined 25 hours, 21 minutes and 3 seconds. At Makerere's transcription rate of UGX 70,000 per minute, the total cost amounted to UGX 59.32 million, which CID paid before the work commenced.
According to the witness, the recordings were organized in a folder labeled "180-2025" and contained five subfolders titled Meeting 01 Geneva, Meeting 02 Geneva, Meeting 03 Geneva, Meeting 04 Athens, and Meeting 05 Nairobi. The recordings ranged from approximately two to nine hours each.
Ssentanda said a linguist was assigned to transcribe the material, and the completed report was submitted to CID on October 7, 2025. He presented court documents showing payment of the funds into Makerere University's Institute of Languages Project Account and the subsequent delivery of the transcription report.
However, the defence objected to the prosecution's attempt to tender the transcription report as evidence.
Lead defence counsel Farooq Kamulegeya argued that the report was derived from electronic material whose source had not yet been formally introduced as evidence. Citing provisions of the Electronic Evidence Act and the Electronic Transactions Act, the defence contended that the prosecution had failed to establish the authenticity of the flash drive and maintain an unbroken chain of custody.
The prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka, dismissed the objection, arguing that the report being tendered was authored and signed by the witness himself and that no application had yet been made to introduce the flash drive as evidence.
Following lengthy submissions from both sides, Judge Baguma adjourned the case to September 23, 2026, when he will rule on the admissibility of the transcription report and continue hearing the case.
Earlier, prosecution witness Andrew Wilson, a Kurdish private investigator who allegedly recorded some of the meetings under scrutiny, concluded his testimony after nearly two months and was discharged.
Dr. Kizza Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola are jointly charged with treason. Prosecutors allege that the trio held meetings in Uganda, Kenya, Greece and Switzerland to solicit funding, acquire weapons and organise paramilitary activities aimed at overthrowing the government.
The state says it intends to rely on witness testimony, audio and video recordings, social media communications, immigration records and telephone data as part of its evidence in the case.
Source: The Independent
Testifying before Criminal Division Judge Emmanuel Baguma on Thursday, prosecution witness Medadi Ssentanda Erisa, a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator for Languages and Communication Services at Makerere University's Department of African Languages, Literature and Communication, said the recordings were delivered on September 5, 2025, by CID for transcription.
Ssentanda told the court that the files were contained on a flash drive enclosed in a CID-marked envelope. Upon reviewing the recordings, his office established that they ran for a combined 25 hours, 21 minutes and 3 seconds. At Makerere's transcription rate of UGX 70,000 per minute, the total cost amounted to UGX 59.32 million, which CID paid before the work commenced.
According to the witness, the recordings were organized in a folder labeled "180-2025" and contained five subfolders titled Meeting 01 Geneva, Meeting 02 Geneva, Meeting 03 Geneva, Meeting 04 Athens, and Meeting 05 Nairobi. The recordings ranged from approximately two to nine hours each.
Ssentanda said a linguist was assigned to transcribe the material, and the completed report was submitted to CID on October 7, 2025. He presented court documents showing payment of the funds into Makerere University's Institute of Languages Project Account and the subsequent delivery of the transcription report.
However, the defence objected to the prosecution's attempt to tender the transcription report as evidence.
Lead defence counsel Farooq Kamulegeya argued that the report was derived from electronic material whose source had not yet been formally introduced as evidence. Citing provisions of the Electronic Evidence Act and the Electronic Transactions Act, the defence contended that the prosecution had failed to establish the authenticity of the flash drive and maintain an unbroken chain of custody.
The prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka, dismissed the objection, arguing that the report being tendered was authored and signed by the witness himself and that no application had yet been made to introduce the flash drive as evidence.
Following lengthy submissions from both sides, Judge Baguma adjourned the case to September 23, 2026, when he will rule on the admissibility of the transcription report and continue hearing the case.
Earlier, prosecution witness Andrew Wilson, a Kurdish private investigator who allegedly recorded some of the meetings under scrutiny, concluded his testimony after nearly two months and was discharged.
Dr. Kizza Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola are jointly charged with treason. Prosecutors allege that the trio held meetings in Uganda, Kenya, Greece and Switzerland to solicit funding, acquire weapons and organise paramilitary activities aimed at overthrowing the government.
The state says it intends to rely on witness testimony, audio and video recordings, social media communications, immigration records and telephone data as part of its evidence in the case.
Source: The Independent
