“We would carry out attacks in Kampala, create chaos and then use the media to blame the government for what had happened.”
The High Court, on Wednesday heard chilling details of how an alleged plan to destabilize Kampala and overthrow the government was supposedly to be executed, with a state witness claiming that the plot involved drones, bombs, armed fighters and a campaign of confusion designed to trigger a military takeover.
Andrew Wilson, a private security investigator and prosecution witness, told Justice Emmanuel Baguma that he secretly recorded meetings involving opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye and Joel Wakayima, a Ugandan activist based in Switzerland.
Wilson said he used a camera hidden inside a mobile power bank to capture some of the discussions, which he claimed outlined how the alleged operation would unfold.
According to the witness, the first stage involved securing military equipment, including hand grenades, drones and surface-to-air missiles, as well as recruiting between 40 and 60 people for paramilitary training.
The training was allegedly planned for Kisumu, Kenya, although Wilson said the group became suspicious that the airport was under surveillance. He claimed Besigye subsequently suggested using an airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to receive the weapons.
Wilson told court that the alleged operation was then expected to move into Kampala, where attacks and acts of disruption would be used to create panic and undermine government control.
One of the alleged plans involved using a drone to interfere with a commercial aircraft at Entebbe International Airport. Wilson said the intention was to create a crisis and subsequently use media platforms to portray the government as responsible.
The witness further alleged that the group discussed attacking places in Kampala where government officials were believed to gather, further claiming that Wakayima proposed detonating a hand grenade at Cafe Javas on Acacia Avenue, allegedly because senior government officials were known to frequent the establishment.
Wilson also alleged that the discussions went as far as the planned assassination of President Yoweri Museveni.
He told court that drones were considered as a possible means of carrying out the assassination and that Besigye and his group were concerned that directly linking the killing to him would damage his political reputation.
According to Wilson, they allegedly discussed blaming the assassination on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
The witness further claimed that once the attacks and resulting unrest had created sufficient instability, the broader objective was to have the military take over government.
Wilson also told court that money was allegedly being lined up to finance the operation. He claimed his associates were prepared to provide $5 million, with the money expected to be deposited in a Dubai bank account where Besigye would be a signatory.
According to the witness, the alleged plans were not limited to Kampala. He testified that preparations included securing training for recruits in Kisumu, after which the trainees would allegedly form part of the wider operation.
He said he eventually began working with Ugandan security agencies and deliberately frustrated efforts to obtain the weapons while continuing to interact with the alleged planners.
Wilson later travelled to Kisumu, where he said several people were arrested, including 36 Ugandans who were subsequently returned to Uganda and charged with terrorism-related offences.
He also placed Besigye in Nairobi around the time of the arrests.
The witness has further testified about meetings in Geneva and Athens, claiming that some of the encounters were secretly recorded.
The prosecution alleges that Besigye, Obeid Lutale and Capt Denis Oola held meetings in Uganda, Kenya, Greece and Switzerland to solicit funds, acquire weapons and organize paramilitary activities aimed at overthrowing Museveni's government.
