President Museveni was allegedly targeted for assassination two weeks after a group of about 50 people completed covert intelligence and paramilitary training in Kisumu, Kenya, the High Court in Kampala has heard.
Mr Wilson Andrew, alias Orolando, a prosecution witness, told the High Court in Kampala that the training was expected to last one week, after which the alleged attack on the President would take place two weeks later.
‘The training camp would take one week, and thereafter, the attack on the President would take place apparently two weeks after the training,’ Mr Wilson, who was being led by Mr Richard Birivumbuka from the DPP’s office, told court.
He said he was expected to travel to Uganda with the trainees, while Dr Kizza Besigye and members of an alleged ‘shadow government’ would travel to Dubai to meet senior members of a group he claimed to represent.
The witness said he gave Dr Besigye $5,000 to facilitate the transportation of the 50 people from Uganda to Kisumu and support activities within his political party.
According to Mr Wilson, the trainees were expected to travel under the guise of attending a journalistic training programme, but would instead receive training in covert intelligence and paramilitary tactics in preparation for the alleged attack.
In July 2024, about 36 members of the then opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Katonga faction, now the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), were violently arrested in Kisumu, Kenya, and deported to Uganda, where they faced terrorism charges.
The group had reportedly travelled to attend leadership training at Ukweli Pastoral Centre in Kisumu. The training did not take place after Kenyan authorities arrested them and handed them over to Ugandan authorities.
The 36 were subsequently charged with terrorism. However, the International Crimes Division later discontinued the terrorism charges against the group, citing lack of prosecution.
Mr Wilson also told court that during a third meeting held on June 24, 2024, discussions centred on obtaining a passport for Dr Besigye’s associate, Mr Joel Wakayima.
He said there was a proposal to secure a Zambian passport for Mr Wakayima, but the plan faced difficulties. ‘The issue with getting the Zambian passport was securing the biometrics like his fingerprints, photos, among others,’ he said.
Mr Wakayima was later arrested by the security in Geneva.
Mr Wilson’s testimony was based largely on video recordings he said he secretly made during meetings involving Dr Besigye and Mr Wakayima in Geneva.
The court yesterday watched clips from an over two-hour video which the witness said he recorded using a covert camera embedded in a mobile phone power bank that he had hidden in one of his rooms in Geneva.