Kampala, Uganda | URN | Former Kampala Lord Mayor and Chairperson of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) Erias Lukwago has been moved to Mulago National Referral Hospital for medical attention amid concerns over his deteriorating health while in detention.
Lukwago’s lawyer, Medard Lubega Sseggona, said his client was transferred to Mulago on Monday morning from the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Lubowa, where he had been held. Sseggona said Lukwago had been in poor health, prompting the referral for further medical assessment.
The hospital visit comes as Lukwago awaits a hearing of his fresh application for mandatory bail before the High Court Criminal Division in Kampala. His legal team says it has not yet received another hearing date for the application, which is before Justice David Matovu.
Filed on September 7, 2026, the application seeks Lukwago’s release on reasonable bail conditions, citing his continued detention without trial and the need for specialised medical treatment for several chronic conditions.
Lukwago argues that he has spent more than 60 days on remand and is constitutionally entitled to mandatory bail. He is also seeking permission to travel to India for a post-operative review following cervical spine surgery and further treatment for a gastrointestinal condition that he says has worsened during his detention.
Lukwago says he underwent cervical disc replacement surgery at Fortis Memorial Hospital in India and requires a post-operative review by the surgeons who performed the procedure. He is also seeking specialist assessment and treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatus hernia, including possible laparoscopic fundoplication, as well as continued management of his other chronic conditions.
In his supporting affidavit, Lukwago says his health has deteriorated in custody and that prison medical facilities are not adequately equipped to provide the specialised care he requires. Lukwago further claims that his spinal complications have worsened during detention, causing persistent neck and left-leg pain, weakness, numbness and pain radiating into his upper limbs, particularly his left arm and fingers.
He also says his gastrointestinal condition has progressed and requires specialist assessment beyond the treatment currently available to him in prison.
According to his affidavit, Lukwago was previously admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital for approximately one week following an order by the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court. He says a multidisciplinary medical team examined him in the presence of a Uganda Prisons Service medical officer and recommended continued medical management, appropriate living conditions and a specialist review of his cervical spine in India.
The fresh application follows the High Court’s decision on July 30, 2026, to decline an earlier application for bail. In his ruling, Justice Matovu held that the earlier application had been overtaken by events after Lukwago was committed to the High Court for trial on a charge of misprision of treason.
The judge noted that the earlier application had been filed in connection with Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court case which ceased to exist in its previous form after Lukwago was committed to the High Court on July 16, 2026. At the time of the ruling, the criminal session case had not yet been allocated to a trial judge.
The court consequently directed the Deputy Registrar of the Criminal Division to expedite the allocation of the case for further management. Justice Matovu also raised concerns about the medical evidence presented during the earlier proceedings. Although reports from Mulago detailed Lukwago’s health challenges, the judge said they lacked certification from an authorised Uganda Prisons Service medical officer confirming that prison facilities could not provide the required treatment.
He directed that the medical reports be forwarded to prison authorities to facilitate appropriate care and said the authorities should submit a report if they were unable to manage Lukwago’s condition.
In his fresh application, Lukwago relies on Article 23(6)(b) of the Constitution, which provides for mandatory bail where a person charged with an offence triable by the High Court or a subordinate court has spent 60 days on remand without trial, subject to reasonable conditions determined by the court.
He argues that he has met the constitutional threshold and that his continued detention without the commencement of his trial entitles him to release on bail. Lukwago was charged with misprision of treason before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court on June 17, 2026. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded to Murchison Bay Prison in Luzira, where he says he has remained in custody.
Lukwago, a lawyer by profession, is the Executive Chairperson of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF). He previously served as Kampala Lord Mayor, Kampala Central Member of Parliament and Shadow Attorney General.
The prosecution alleges that Lukwago failed to report information about an alleged plot to overthrow the government between 2021 and November 2024. The alleged plot is linked to his client, Dr Kizza Besigye, as well as Hajji Obeid Lutale and Captain Denis Oola, who are also facing treason-related proceedings before Justice Emmanuel Baguma.
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