30/7/2026
Erias Lukwago, the former Lord Mayor of Kampala and leader of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), was denied bail after the High Court found that prison officials had not certified his medical condition required treatment outside of prison. This decision came despite a specialist report suggesting he should receive care in India.
On Thursday, July 30, Justice David Matovu explained that a medical report from five consultants at Mulago National Referral Hospital was not enough to grant bail based on medical reasons.
The report recommended that Lukwago have a specialized spinal review by his primary surgeons in India. His lawyers argued that he could not get adequate treatment in Uganda.
However, the judge stated that legal rules require an inmate seeking bail for medical issues to provide certification from an official medical officer of the Uganda Prisons Service, confirming that their condition cannot be managed effectively while in custody.
“The medical evidence presented to the court does not meet that requirement,” the ruling said, noting that no such certification was obtained from prison health officials.
Lukwago’s legal team, which included advocates Medard Lubega Sseggona and Samuel Muyizi Mulindwa, submitted the medical report along with four sureties. These included Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze Bakireke and advocate Chrisestom Katumba. They argued that Lukwago met all constitutional requirements for bail.
Justice Matovu agreed that Lukwago satisfied several standard conditions for bail, including providing significant sureties and showing a stable residence in Rubaga, Kampala.
The judge also dismissed claims from the prosecution that Lukwago might flee or tamper with witnesses. He described these claims as speculative and lacking enough evidence.
Nonetheless, the court determined that without the necessary certification from prison health authorities, Lukwago’s application could not succeed.
Additionally, while Lukwago’s bail request was pending, the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court sent him to the High Court for trial on July 16, effectively ending proceedings from the lower court related to his application.
Judge Matovu instructed the Deputy Registrar of the Criminal Division to quickly assign a trial judge to oversee further actions in this case, including any new bail applications.
Lukwago faces charges of misprision of treason after prosecutors accused him of failing to report an alleged plot to overthrow the government between 2021 and November 2024. He has been held at Luzira Murchison Bay Prison since appearing before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court in June.
