Kenyan police have been accused of planting two pistols and fake currency inside a Nairobi apartment before Ugandan opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye arrived at the premises where he was later arrested.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The allegation was made by a key prosecution witness in Besigye's treason trial during cross-examination at the High Court in Kampala.

The witness told Justice Emmanuel Baguma that Kenyan police rented an apartment at Riverside in Nairobi and prepared the scene as part of what was described as an intelligence-led operation.

According to the testimony, police placed two pistols and suspected fake currency notes inside a meeting room before Besigye and his co-accused were brought to the location.

📌 What You Need to Know

Besigye is a long-time Ugandan opposition leader who has challenged President Yoweri Museveni in several presidential elections and remained a prominent critic of his government. He has faced repeated arrests and legal battles over his political activities.

In August, Besigye was transferred from Luzira Prison to the Joint Clinical Research Centre after his health reportedly deteriorated. His family said he remained severely weak and struggled to walk, speak, write and hold objects steadily.

“The firearms were loaded when he entered the room, and he removed the bullets because he considered the weapons a safety risk,” the witness said.

Defence lawyers, however, questioned why the witness handled the firearms and whether doing so could have interfered with evidence at what later became an alleged crime scene.

The defence also questioned the whereabouts of the guns and fake currency, with the witness saying he did not know where the items were because they had not been presented in court.

Lawyers further suggested that forensic examination of the firearms could have established whose fingerprints were found on them, raising questions about how the weapons were handled.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke