A rare interaction has unfolded at Murchison Bay Prison in Luzira after lawyer Male Mabirizi revealed that he is currently detained alongside Kampala Lord Mayor emeritus Erias Lukwago, a senior member of Dr Kizza Besigye’s legal team.
Mabirizi says the shared detention has created an unexpected setting for engagement between them, allowing discussions aimed at addressing earlier disagreements linked to how Besigye’s legal network has handled his situation in custody.
The dispute traces back to Mabirizi’s earlier public complaint accusing Besigye’s lawyers of repeatedly visiting their client at Luzira Upper Prison while allegedly ignoring his own detention at Murchison Bay, where he claims he is held with another lawyer.
“HYPOCRITES; BESIGYE Lawyers have visited BESIGYE over 50 times at Luzira Upper Prison, but have not found any single time to pass by Murchison Bay where I & another lawyer are held... Nowonder, since my arrest, the team has made many strategic ERRORS, which have given BAGUMA,” Mabirizi wrote in a prior statement.
It is this grievance, he now says, that formed the basis of discussions between him and Lukwago inside the prison, leading to what he describes as efforts to “iron out differences.”
“FELLOW CITIZENS, we’re now imprisoned at Murchison Bay PRISON Luzira with the Lord Mayor emeritus Erias Lukwago, but I’m happy we’re progressing on ironing out our differences,” Mabirizi stated.
Lukwago, who is part of Besigye’s legal representation team, has not issued any public response to the allegations or confirmed details of any engagement with Mabirizi.
The development highlights underlying tensions within opposition-linked legal circles, where coordination around high-profile political detainees often intersects with personal and institutional disagreements.