KAMPALA, UGANDA: 17 JUNE 2026— In a sharp escalation of legal and political tensions, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) has issued a fierce ultimatum to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of “misprision of treason” charges against prominent advocate and opposition figure Erias Lukwago.
Should the DPP fail to comply, the Bar association has vowed to take the struggle to the streets, launching uninterrupted daily picket lines outside the DPP’s offices.
The legal showdown follows the dramatic arrest of Lukwago—the former Kampala Lord Mayor and current President of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF)—who was seized from his home in Wakaliga on Monday by military operatives. Security sources allege his name surfaced among opposition officials planning subversive activities to overthrow the government.
However, Lukwago’s defense team, led by his firm partner Hon. Medard Lubega Sseggona, maintains that the arrest is directly tied to his professional role. Lukwago was abducted while preparing to serve a court summons to the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in a case where opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye has sued the military chief over alleged death threats on social media.
After spending 48 hours in military custody, Lukwago was dropped at the Kira Division Police Station on Wednesday morning and subsequently rushed to the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court. Presiding Magistrate Sarah Basemera read out charges of misprision of treason (concealing treasonous acts). Lukwago vehemently denied the charges and was remanded to Luzira Prison until Monday next week, pending verification of his medical documents.
“An Attack on One is an Attack on the Bar”
In a strongly-worded complaint addressed to the DPP, Mr. Lino Anguzu, ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde, SC, condemned the state’s actions as blatant “political persecution” and a grave abuse of the criminal justice system.
”Serving court documents or vigorously defending a client in a high-profile political trial does not, and cannot, constitute treason,” Ssemakadde stated. “This is classic lawfare: the weaponization of criminal justice institutions to harass, cripple, and neutralize the defense team of political opponents.”
The Law Society argues that the DPP is violating Articles 120(5) and 120(6) of the Constitution, which mandate that the office must exercise prosecutorial authority with strict impartiality and free from partisan or political direction.
The Ultimatum: Courts and Streets
Warning that the Ugandan criminal justice system has degenerated into a “police-to-prison pipeline for dissenters,” the ULS put the DPP on formal notice with a two-pronged strategy:
In the Courts: ULS plans to vigorously oppose the charges through all available constitutional avenues, seeking declarations of abuse of process and violations of fair trial rights under Article 28.
On the Streets: In coordination with other pro-democracy forces, the legal profession has committed to picket the DPP’s offices every single day, starting immediately, until the charges are dropped.
The ULS concluded by noting that failure to withdraw the charges would be viewed as direct complicity in an ongoing assault against the independence of the Bar, the Judiciary, and the rule of law. Copies of the protest note have been dispatched to key national and international bodies, including the Chief Justice of Uganda, the Attorney General, the East Africa Law Society, and the International Bar Association (IBA).
This is a developing story. Watch out for more updates.
