Kenya’s government has denied that its police had any role in the 2024 seizure of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his aide Obeid Lutale in Nairobi, The Standard reported on Tuesday.
In submissions to Kenya’s High Court, the government argued there was no evidence that the National Police Service had done anything illegal or malicious against the two men.
It also said the officers accused of taking part had not been identified by name or rank, and that political and diplomatic disputes do not prove a constitutional violation by a Kenyan agency, according to the newspaper.
Besigye and Lutale filed the petition through senior counsel Martha Karua and lawyer James WaNjeri. They argue their removal from Kenya was unconstitutional and broke the Extradition (Commonwealth Countries) Act, which requires a court’s approval before a suspect is handed to another Commonwealth country.
The Law Society of Kenya is listed as an interested party. The two men are also seeking damages.
Seized in Nairobi, charged in Kampala
Besigye and Lutale disappeared in Nairobi on Nov. 16, 2024. Four days later, Besigye appeared before a military court in Kampala, where he and Lutale were charged with security offenses and illegal possession of firearms, Amnesty International said in an appeal for his release.
In a February 2025 statement, then Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland called their seizure an abduction and said their continued detention undermined a Jan. 31, 2025 ruling by Uganda’s Supreme Court.
Treason trial continues in Uganda
The case has since moved to Uganda’s High Court, where Besigye, Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola face treason-related charges over alleged plans to overthrow the government. They deny the charges.
Besigye collapsed in the dock on July 29 while protesting lawyers assigned to him, and the court has allowed the trial to go on in his absence, PML Daily reported. The trial resumed Oct. 5 before Justice Emmanuel Baguma.
The Kenyan High Court has not yet ruled on the petition.