Former Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Burora Herbert Anderson has criticised the legal team representing Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, led by veteran lawyer Erias Lukwago and Kenya’s former Justice Minister Martha Karua, over their approach to the ongoing treason case.
In a statement, Burora argued that President Yoweri Museveni’s administration had previously allowed space for informal political dialogue among former combatants, suggesting that the matter could have been handled outside formal judicial processes.
“By all standards, President Museveni had left an open window where former bush fighters could discuss political and dissenting matters without going legal,” he said.
He dismissed the legal strategy being pursued by Besigye’s defence team, suggesting that court proceedings were unlikely to change the outcome of the case. Burora described the legal efforts as unrealistic and unlikely to succeed.
“Thinking they will take this case to court and win is laughable,” he stated.
Burora further questioned the broader implications of pursuing the matter through the courts, arguing that it could undermine previous informal mechanisms used to resolve political disputes.
He also suggested that the case had already been shaped by intelligence cooperation between Uganda and Kenya in relation to Besigye’s movements and eventual arrest.
According to him, both states had aligned on the basis of available information before the matter escalated into formal charges.
“When the Kenyan government gave him up to Ugandan security, both countries were convinced by the actions and shared quantifiable intelligence,” he said.
He went on to predict that Besigye’s legal battle was unlikely to end in acquittal, regardless of the courtroom arguments presented by his defence team.
“I find it a waste of time for them to think this matter will be expedited in court and Besigye walks out scot-free,” he added.
Burora also cautioned against attempts to frame the opposition figure as a political martyr, stating that such status could not be manufactured through legal or political strategy.
“Martyrs surface out of a situation; they are not manufactured,” he noted.
Dr Besigye, a long-time critic of President Museveni, is facing treason-related charges in Uganda, a case that has continued to draw regional attention, particularly due to the involvement of prominent East African legal and political figures in his defence.