Justice Baguma’s decisions however left Dr. Besigye’s wife, Eng. Winnie Byanyima worried, saying; “It is devastating and clear: Judge Baguma is biased and wants to convict Dr. Kizza Besigye of treason and sentence him to death.”
In the latest development, Justice Emmanuel Baguma, the trial judge in the treason case of Rtd. Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, Haji Obeid Lutale and Capt. Dennis Oola stood his ground, asserting that the accused persons were legally under trial by him and in the right court.
For the third time running, Baguma declined the demand to disqualify himself from trying the trio’s case, arguing that denying a prisoner bail does not automatically indicate that the trial judge is biased, adding that it is at the discretion of court to grant or deny them bail.
He also trashed claims that they are in the wrong court, arguing that even the previous times they applied for bail, they were under trial in a court lower than the international criminal court to which they want to be committed.
Justice Baguma’s decisions however left Dr. Besigye’s wife, Eng. Winnie Byanyima worried, saying; “It is devastating and clear: Judge Baguma is biased and wants to convict Dr. Kizza Besigye of treason and sentence him to death.”
On July 15, 2025, Nakawa Magistrate’s Court dispatched their case to the High Court and the current trial judge was duly assigned to handle it.
Baguma insisted that this court was competent enough to handle their case and wondered if there was a similar court being heard by the international court. Consequently, he said he is going to set a hearing date for their case.
Besigye’s lawyers led by Martha Karua, Erias Lukwago and others continued to oppose this ruling and expressed the desire to take up the matter with the constitutional court in search of justice. Baguma set November 6, 2025 as the next date for the three to appear in court.