According to Sseggona, Lukwago has metal implants in his back and cannot sleep on an ordinary mattress. He also requested that his client be allowed access to a medical monitoring device used to track his heart condition.
Former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has been remanded to Luzira Prison’s Murchison Bay Wing until Monday after being charged with misprision of treason before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Makindye.
The court ordered that Lukwago be held at the facility, where he is expected to receive medical attention before returning for further proceedings next week.
During the court session, Lukwago’s lawyer, Medard Lubega Sseggona, asked the court to allow his client access to an orthopedic mattress, citing a medical condition that requires special sleeping arrangements.
According to Sseggona, Lukwago has metal implants in his back and cannot sleep on an ordinary mattress. He also requested that his client be allowed access to a medical monitoring device used to track his heart condition.
The lawyer further told court that Lukwago follows a special diet and may struggle to cope with the standard food provided in prison.
Lukwago was arrested on Monday from his home in Wakaliga by officers attached to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). On Wednesday afternoon, he was brought before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court under tight security, where prosecutors formally read out the charge against him.
The veteran lawyer and opposition politician is currently serving as lead defence counsel for opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye in an ongoing treason case.
The case has attracted significant public and political interest given Lukwago’s prominent role in Uganda’s opposition politics and his involvement in the defence of Besigye, whose treason case continues to draw national attention.
Misprision of treason is the criminal offense of knowing that someone has committed—or is planning to commit—treason against a government, and deliberately failing to report it to the proper authorities. It penalizes the concealment of treasonous acts rather than the act of treason itself.