A key prosecution witness in the treason trial of Ugandan opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye has told the High Court that two pistols found at a Nairobi apartment appeared to have been planted by Kenyan police.
Andrew Wilson, also known as Orlando, made the claims while being cross-examined by lawyers representing Besigye’s co-accused, Hajji Obeid Lutale.
Mr Wilson also agreed during questioning that the operation surrounding the arrests appeared to have been stage-managed and said the apartment had been arranged as part of an intelligence operation.
He told the court that the two loaded pistols were already inside the apartment before Mr Lutale arrived.
The testimony is being scrutinised by defence lawyers as they challenge the circumstances surrounding the arrests and the evidence gathered against the accused.
Guns already in apartment, witness says
Mr Wilson told the court that he travelled by road from Uganda to Kenya with an associate identified only as Zac to meet Dr Besigye and Mr Lutale in November 2024.
He said he travelled from Entebbe to the Uganda-Kenya border, where he was handed over to Kenyan security operatives before continuing to Nairobi.
According to his testimony, two loaded pistols were already lying on a counter inside the apartment when he arrived.
Mr Wilson said he unloaded the firearms because he was concerned about his safety.
During cross-examination, defence lawyers suggested that the guns had been deliberately placed in the apartment to implicate Mr Lutale.
Mr Wilson agreed that, from the circumstances, it appeared that could have been the case.
He also acknowledged that his fingerprints could have remained on the weapons after he handled them.
‘Stage-managed’ operation
The defence questioned Mr Wilson about the organisation of the Nairobi operation and the role played by security operatives.
Mr Wilson acknowledged that the apartment had been arranged in advance and that he had lured Dr Besigye and Mr Lutale to the meeting.
He said the arrangements were not his responsibility but acknowledged receiving facilitation and what he described as extremely limited resources from the Ugandan government.
When defence lawyers suggested that the sequence of events appeared to have been stage-managed, Mr Wilson agreed with the description while characterising the operation as an intelligence exercise.
He also told the court that he did not know why he and Zac were not arrested during the raid.
Mr Wilson said he later returned to the apartment and spent the night there.
When lawyers suggested that the apartment would normally have been secured as a crime scene, he agreed.
He also acknowledged that returning to the apartment meant he had interfered with the scene.
Questions over fake money
The court also heard questions about a box containing suspected fake money that Mr Wilson said had been part of the operation.
He said he did not know who removed the box following the arrests.
The money has not been presented before the court as an exhibit.
Defence lawyers used the circumstances surrounding the firearms and money to question the handling of evidence during the Nairobi operation.
Recordings challenged
Mr Wilson was also questioned about audio and video recordings he said he secretly made during meetings involving the accused.
He told the court that he used a power bank fitted with a covert camera and a separate audio recording device during the Nairobi meeting.
According to his testimony, he later transferred recordings from the devices to a cloud account.
However, he could not confirm whether the original recordings remained on the devices or their memory cards.
Mr Wilson said he was also unsure whether the footage remained accessible through his cloud account.
He told the court that he could only access the account using a laptop that was outside Uganda and which had not been handed over to investigators.
Defence lawyers also confronted him with an earlier police statement in which he reportedly said Kenyan officers had deleted footage from his recording devices during the raid.
Mr Wilson said during cross-examination that he was no longer certain whether the officers had deleted the recordings.
He also acknowledged editing some of the footage that was subsequently submitted to investigators.
Witness says he expects payment
Mr Wilson further told the court that he expected to receive payment from the Ugandan government for what he described as “selling the story” involving Dr Besigye and Mr Lutale.
He said he had been living in Uganda for several months while waiting to testify and would welcome a government allowance to cover his expenses.
The defence has been questioning his role in the operation, his handling of evidence and the reliability of the material he provided to investigators.
Dr Besigye, Mr Lutale and UPDF officer Capt Denis Oola are facing treason charges over allegations that they participated in meetings in Uganda and abroad as part of a plan to overthrow the Ugandan government.
They deny the allegations.
The trial before the High Court in Kampala is continuing.
