Police are expected to heighten security in Nairobi’s Central Business District on Monday, September 21, as activists prepare to march to the President’s Office over the reported abduction and transfer of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye.
The protesters plan to demand answers from the Kenyan government over Besigye’s disappearance from Nairobi in November 2024 and his subsequent appearance in Uganda, where he was initially arraigned before a military court.
The planned demonstration comes days after explosive testimony in Besigye’s treason trial in Kampala, where a key prosecution witness alleged that Kenyan police planted two pistols and fake currency inside a Nairobi apartment before Besigye and his co-accused arrived.
According to the witness, Andrew Wilson, the Riverside apartment had been prepared as part of an intelligence-led operation.
The defence has challenged the handling of the alleged weapons and questioned why the firearms and fake currency have not been presented in court. Lawyers have also raised questions over whether forensic examination could have established whose fingerprints were found on the guns.
The witness further described the Nairobi operation as having been “stage-managed” during cross-examination, according to reports from the proceedings.
The allegations have not been established as findings by the court and remain part of testimony in the ongoing trial.
Besigye disappeared after his reported arrest in Nairobi on November 16, 2024, before resurfacing in Uganda four days later. He was initially taken before a military court, with his case later transferred to a civilian court.
The planned Nairobi protest is expected to culminate at the President’s Office on Harambee Avenue, where activists want the government to explain how Besigye was moved from Kenyan territory.
The protesters are also calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and transfer, including scrutiny of any Kenyan security officers who may have been involved.
Fresh Questions Over Besigye Arrest
The latest courtroom testimony has intensified questions surrounding the events in Nairobi.
Wilson told the Ugandan High Court that the two pistols were already inside the apartment when he entered and that he unloaded them after considering the firearms a safety risk. The defence questioned his decision to handle the weapons and whether doing so could have compromised potential evidence.
The witness also said he did not know where the alleged firearms and fake currency were because the items had not been produced as exhibits in court.
Defence lawyers have further questioned the witness over discrepancies in his testimony, including accounts concerning how the firearms came to be inside the apartment and the handling of recordings allegedly made during meetings with Besigye and his co-accused.
Besigye is jointly charged with his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale and Uganda People’s Defence Force officer Captain Denis Oola over allegations that they participated in a plot to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
The three have denied the allegations, with prosecutors continuing to present evidence concerning alleged meetings and activities in Kenya and other countries.
Activists Demand Answers
The activists behind Monday’s planned march argue that the matter is not solely an issue of Ugandan politics, insisting that Kenya must account for what happened to Besigye while he was on Kenyan soil.
They want the government to explain whether Kenyan security agencies played any role in his disappearance and subsequent transfer to Uganda.
The protest is therefore expected to bring renewed attention to the unresolved circumstances surrounding Besigye’s movement from Kenya to Uganda, particularly as his trial continues to generate fresh allegations about the operation that preceded his arrest.
