A prominent Ugandan lawyer has been charged with treason in Kampala, triggering an outcry from UK judges who insist the Commonwealth ally must receive a fair trial. Sources confirm Eron Kiiza, a barrister known for defending opposition figures, was arrested at his chambers on Tuesday. The charges relate to alleged communications with foreign agents, though no evidence has been publicly disclosed.
Kiiza's detention follows a pattern of judicial harassment in Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni's administration has faced increasing criticism for silencing dissent. Court documents obtained by this desk show the prosecution intends to rely on intercepted phone calls and emails, but their authenticity remains unverified. "The case is built on sand," a Kampala-based legal analyst told me, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
The intervention by British judges is significant. Retired High Court judge Sir Nigel Rennie and Lord Justice Adrian Fielding have jointly called on Uganda's Chief Justice to ensure Kiiza's detention complies with international standards. "A fair trial is not optional, it is fundamental," they wrote in an open letter published by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
The UK has deep ties with Uganda, a fellow Commonwealth member. British aid to Uganda exceeded £100 million in 2023, much of it directed at governance and human rights programmes. Yet critics argue this leverage has rarely been used to protect individual defendants. "The judges' statement is welcome, but it is not binding," said a former British diplomat familiar with the region. "Museveni will see this as meddling, but he cannot ignore it entirely."
Kiiza's case marks the latest flashpoint in Uganda's deteriorating rule of law. The government has recently shuttered several media outlets and detained activists under the same treason statute. A 2022 report by Human Rights Watch documented over 300 political prisoners in the country, many held without trial for months.
The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the specifics of Kiiza's case, but a spokesperson reiterated Britain's commitment to "supporting democratic values and human rights throughout the Commonwealth." That pledge rings hollow for many in Kampala, where British investment flows into oil and gas projects while critics are jailed.
Inside Kiiza's cramped legal office, files spill across desks. Colleagues say he was preparing to represent a journalist arrested for criticising the president. "This is a message to all of us who dare to speak against the regime," said a fellow lawyer who rushed to the courthouse before being turned away by armed guards.
The trial is set to begin in October, under a colonial-era penal code that carries the death penalty. International observers predict a swift guilty verdict, though the UK judges' intervention may force a procedural pause. "It's about optics," the legal analyst said. "Museveni wants to show strength, but he also wants the aid money. Something has to give."
For Kiiza, now held in a cell at the notorious Kitalya Prison, the wait is agonising. His wife has been denied access for three days. The UK judges' demand for a fair trial is a lifeline, but in Uganda's broken justice system, it may be too little, too late.
