Attorney General given 14 days to file response in Kizza Besigye suit

When the matter came up for compliance on Monday, lawyer representing the AG - Marwa, told the court that despite service having been effected, he had not filed any responses. 

He explained that the respondents occupied different offices and that letters seeking correspondence to prepare a joint response had gone unanswered.

Marwa asked the court for an extension of 21 days to file the responses.

However senior Counsel Martha Karua, representing Besigye, a long-time opposition figure in Uganda, opposed the request.

She noted that the respondents had been served on July 28 and yet had failed to enter appearance by September 29, two months later.

 “If you are inclined to grant them time, the State office must be cautioned. How do they take two months without responding?” she urged.

Karua further stressed that the case had cross-border significance, saying their colleagues had travelled from Uganda because the matter had direct implications on Besigye’s struggles in his home country and touched on regional security.

Justice Lawrence Mugambi ruled that the Attorney General had already had ample time to respond and declined to grant the 21 days requested. Instead, he gave the State 14 days to file responses.

The case continues to draw attention as Besigye, alongside his aide Obed Lutale challenge deportation from Kenya in 2024, a matter with regional political and security ramifications.