Published on 27/11/2024
Kenya’s former Justice minister Martha Karua will lead Uganda’s veteran opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye’s legal team in the ongoing military court case, taking over from Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.
According to Mr Lukwago, over 50 lawyers from Uganda and Kenya have been lined up to represent the four-time presidential candidate and his political associate, Hajj Obeid Lutale, in the case before the General Court Martial in Makindye, Kampala.
“The decision we have taken is to assemble a very big team of lawyers from Kenya and Uganda. So far, 50 lawyers have committed to be with us on that day (December 2) and are ready to take on the State and provide any other legal services required in the case. The head of this team of lawyers is Hon Martha Karua. From today onwards, she’s the head of the legal team. I am no longer the lead counsel in this matter,” Mr Lukwago.
According to Mr Lukwago, who is the interim president of the FDC Katonga faction, a splinter group of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change party, a team of lawyers from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Pan-African Lawyers Union (Palu) and East African Law Society will be present in court.
“We’re still in close contact with the leadership of the Law Society of Kenya to interest them in the matter but they also seem to be confirming,” he said.
Section 18 of the Advocates Act provides that for a lawyer from another legal jurisdiction to practise in Uganda, he or she must be from a Commonwealth country, must apply for a temporary practising certificate and must be associated with a law firm in Uganda, among other requirements.
“Kenya is under the East African Community (EAC) and is a Commonwealth country. The requirement is that you file the application with the law council and the chief registrar will issue the temporary practising certificate. We have started on the process today. Hon Martha Karua has already applied for the certificate and by closure of business today, we want to finalise on the application so that it can be processed expeditiously. We shall process the applications for the other lawyers in the course of the week,” he said.
According to him, the lawyers will be attached to his law firm.
“For now, they will be attached to Lukwago and Company Advocates,” the Lord Mayor added.
Dr Besigye and Hajj Lutale were arrested on November 16 in Nairobi, Kenya, where he (Besigye) had been invited as a speaker at the launch of Ms Karua’s book, Against the Tide.
They were arraigned before the General Court Martial on November 20 and charged with offence relating to security, illegal possession of two pistols and eight rounds of ammunition. They were remanded until December 2.
Meanwhile, police in Kampala have arrested Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda. opposition mobiliser Ingrid Turinawe and six other members of the FDC-Katonga faction as they attempted to march to Kenya High Commission in Uganda to demand an explanation for the arrest of their two members- Besigye and Lutale.
