Besigye Trial: Witness Says He Proposed Poisoning UPDF Pilots

**Kampala** — A prosecution witness in the treason trial of opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has told the High Court that he personally proposed poisoning Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) pilots as an alternative to attacking air force aircraft at Nakasongola.

Andrew Wilson, also known in court proceedings as Orlando, testified that Nakasongola Airfield had been identified as a potential target during his discussions with Besigye. But rather than pursue an attack using air-defence missiles, Wilson said he told Besigye that such missiles were “highly tactical” weapons that could see the group linked to terrorism. He said he proposed poisoning the pilots instead as a lower-profile alternative.

**Part of a wider pattern of testimony**

The allegation is the latest in a string of claims Wilson has made over several days on the witness stand, in a trial where Besigye, his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, and UPDF Capt. Denis Oola face charges of conspiring to overthrow the government of Uganda by force.

Wilson, who has identified himself in court as a Kurdish national and private investigator based in Florida, told the court he secretly recorded a series of meetings with Besigye and Joel Wakayima, a Ugandan based in Switzerland, using covert equipment hidden in items including a mobile power bank, a wristwatch and a waistcoat camera. Those recordings, he said, captured discussions held in Uganda, Kenya, Greece and Switzerland between 2023 and 2024.

According to Wilson’s earlier testimony, the alleged plot extended well beyond the air force facility in Nakasongola. He told the court that Wakayima had approached him to help supply weapons — including hand grenades, drones and surface-to-air missiles — to a group linked to Besigye, and to arrange paramilitary training for between 40 and 60 people, initially planned for a Catholic pastoral centre in Kisumu, Kenya, before concerns about surveillance reportedly pushed discussions toward an alternative route through an airstrip in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

**Military installations allegedly listed as targets**

Court has also heard that Besigye allegedly discussed a list of military installations as potential targets, among them Makenke and Bugembe barracks, Bihanga Military School, Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja, Magamaga Barracks, the Marine Division headquarters, the Senior Staff College at Kimaka, the Military Intelligence and Security School — and the Air Force Academy in Nakasongola, the same facility at the centre of Wilson’s latest testimony.

Prosecutors have separately alleged that Besigye sought to acquire ricin poison, surface-to-air missiles and counterfeit Ugandan currency, and that he discussed using drones in a plot to assassinate President Yoweri Museveni. The state says it intends to rely on witness testimony, audio and video recordings, social media communications, immigration records and telephone logs to support the charges.

**Trial proceeding without Besigye**

The case is being heard by Justice Emmanuel Baguma, with proceedings continuing in Besigye’s absence after the court ruled they could proceed despite his non-attendance. His co-accused, Lutale, has disputed the state’s account of why Besigye has missed sessions, saying he has been hospitalised. Besigye previously collapsed in court before being cleared to continue by doctors at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

Besigye’s legal team and opposition allies have maintained that the prosecution is politically motivated, pointing to his standing as a four-time presidential contender and one of Uganda’s most prominent government critics. The defence has also raised concerns about the volume of evidence disclosed by the state — more than 800 pages of witness statements and roughly seven hours of audio recordings — and the time allowed to review it.

The trial continues, with the state expected to call further witnesses, including senior UPDF and intelligence officials, as proceedings progress.

SOURCE DAILY MONITOR