Dr Kizza Besigye will have to spend more time in jail after the High Court denied him bail today.

Besigye and his co-accused Obeid Lutale face treason charges for which they were held last year by the military court.

Today, hundreds of his supporters gathered at the court, many of whom expected that the duo would be released on bail.

But after a lengthy ruling whose wording at some point had inspired optimism, Justice Rosette Comfort Kania delivered the knockout punch.

She said the duo had met all other conditions necessary for bail, but their charges were grave. Therefore, they could not be let free. She also argued that investigations are still ongoing and Besigye’s release could jeopardize them.

After the ruling, Besigye’s supporters appeared deflated. Some were agitated.

“This is unbelievable,” wrote Doreen Nyanjura minutes after the verdict.

According to the prosecution, the accused, alongside others still at large, conspired between 2023 and November 2024 in multiple international cities—Geneva (Switzerland), Athens (Greece), Nairobi (Kenya), and Kampala (Uganda)—to unlawfully overthrow the government of Uganda through force of arms.

Their trial in the court martial collapsed after the Supreme Court ruled that it was unlawful for army courts to try civilians.