Erias Lukwago Health Condition: Ex-Lord Mayor Rushed from Luzira to Mulago as Family Plans to Take Him to India for Better Treatment

KAMPALA — The political battles that have defined much of Erias Lukwago’s public life have, for the moment, given way to a more immediate struggle. The President of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) and former Kampala Lord Mayor remains admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where doctors are carrying out extensive medical examinations as concern grows over his deteriorating health while he remains in state custody. His family and legal team say they are now preparing to fly him back to India for specialized treatment once he secures release on bail.

Lukwago was transferred from Luzira Murchison Bay Prison to Mulago on June 25 following a directive issued by Makindye Chief Magistrate Sarah Basemera after his bail application was rejected.

The court ordered prison authorities to ensure he received comprehensive medical assessment and treatment at Uganda’s national referral hospital, while allowing his wife and one lawyer reasonable access during his admission together with copies of his medical reports.

When members of his legal team visited him on Friday, they found a man whose health had become their overriding concern.

His lead lawyer, Medard Lubega Sseggona, said doctors had already conducted numerous medical investigations but were still awaiting definitive results before determining the next course of treatment.

“A number of tests have been conducted, and we haven’t received the results, at least by the time I left earlier…” Sseggona said.

“He is in pain and he is weak. We need prayers.”

According to the lawyer, Lukwago continues to suffer severe pain, particularly around an area where he previously underwent surgery in India, raising fears that he may require highly specialized intervention unavailable within Uganda.

While praising the efforts of the doctors treating him at Mulago, Sseggona said the hospital could only do so much.

“The doctors and experts in Mulago are managing the situation to the extent that they can. But, of course, there are certain conditions they cannot manage because some bit of science has not reached Uganda. We have plans to fly him off to India again, but only if and when he is released on bail,” Sseggona explained.

His remarks underscore the difficult position facing one of Uganda’s most prominent opposition politicians, who now finds himself navigating both a criminal prosecution and an uncertain medical condition.

For the legal team, the challenge extends beyond medicine.

As Sseggona put it, Lukwago is “a prisoner as well as a patient,” a reality that complicates efforts to secure the specialized treatment his family believes he urgently requires.

The lawyers insist that their immediate focus has shifted away from the courtroom and toward preserving their client’s life.

“We will make as many attempts [for bail] as we possibly can. But currently, our concentration and preoccupation is life. Life first, then freedom second,” Sseggona further noted.

The transfer to Mulago followed several days during which Lukwago’s lawyers repeatedly raised alarm over his worsening health while on remand at Luzira Murchison Bay Prison. They argued before court that he suffers from hypertension, gastritis, respiratory complications and a spinal condition requiring specialist care, warning that the prison medical facility could not adequately manage his condition.

Chief Magistrate Basemera ultimately declined to grant bail, citing the seriousness of the charge and the fact that investigations were still ongoing. At the same time, however, she ordered prison authorities to facilitate Lukwago’s immediate referral to Mulago National Referral Hospital for a comprehensive medical assessment and treatment.
Lukwago is currently facing a charge of misprision of treason.

Prosecutors allege that between 2021 and November 2024, he knew of an alleged plot involving his clients, opposition veteran Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, to overthrow the government but failed to report the alleged plan to authorities. Lukwago has denied the accusation and maintains his innocence.

Read our explainer on what exactly is misprision of treason Here.

He is expected back before the Makindye Chief Magistrates Court on June 30 for an update on the state’s investigations.

His detention has attracted growing attention both inside and outside Uganda.

Lukwago is not only one of the country’s most recognizable opposition figures but also one of the lead lawyers representing Dr. Besigye in his own treason-related proceedings.

International legal organizations have recently expressed concern over the treatment of defence lawyers involved in politically sensitive cases, while Uganda’s legal fraternity has staged protests over what they describe as attacks on the rule of law.

For supporters outside the hospital and family members awaiting answers from doctors, however, politics has temporarily receded into the background.

Their immediate concern is whether the battery of tests being conducted at Mulago will identify the cause of the severe pain that has left the veteran lawyer visibly weakened.

Should specialists conclude that further intervention is required, Lukwago’s family hopes he can once again travel to India, where he previously underwent surgery. Whether that happens will depend not only on his medical condition but also on the outcome of future court proceedings that will determine whether he can leave custody.

Until then, the former Lord Mayor remains under medical care, awaiting test results that could shape both his treatment and the next chapter in one of Uganda’s most closely watched political and legal sagas.

You can read about the reasons that Chief Magistrate Basemera gave for denying Lukwago bail Here.

Meanwhile, Muhoozi has revealed the opposition politicians he plans to arrest next, even as one of them told the first son he is not afraid of him, as reported Here, There and Over There.