A key prosecution witness in the ongoing treason trial of veteran opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has given detailed testimony claiming the politician and his associates plotted to assassinate President Yoweri Museveni and overthrow the Government.

Andrew Wilson, also known as Orlando, an American private security investigator, has been testifying for more than a week before Justice Emmanuel Baguma at the High Court Criminal Division in Kampala. Wilson told the court that he posed as a wealthy foreign financier offering millions of dollars, weapons and military training in order to infiltrate the group and gather evidence for Ugandan security services.

According to the witness, meetings held in Geneva, Switzerland, and Athens, Greece, between late 2023 and 2024 focused on plans to kill the President and create nationwide chaos. Wilson alleged that Dr Besigye disclosed that President Museveni mainly sleeps in Kampala and identified routes he uses between Kampala and Entebbe.

“I asked him about the President’s movements and locations because if we were planning on imaginary attacks, which we were planning, we would need to know where he is and the routes he uses. Dr Besigye said the President mainly sleeps in Kampala,” Wilson told court.

The witness further claimed the alleged plot involved shooting the President or using drones, after which boda boda riders described as “expendables” would be deployed to cause chaos in Kampala. The resulting civil uprising, he said, was meant to create an opening for Dr Besigye to assume power. Wilson alleged that the group preferred the attack to be blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to avoid public backlash.

Wilson also testified that the plan included training up to 60 recruits at a pastoral centre in Kisumu, Kenya, under the guise of journalistic training. He claimed he provided money for logistics and that the trainees were to receive weapons, hand grenades (code-named “pineapples”), drones and counterfeit currency before moving into Uganda. Logistics for weapons were allegedly to be delivered by aircraft to Mahagi airstrip in the DRC.

In later testimony, the court heard claims that two white foreigners posing as tourists were to be sent to Entebbe to monitor State House and the President’s security arrangements. Discussions allegedly also covered possible attacks on other targets, including the residence of Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and public places frequented by government officials.

Wilson said he secretly recorded several of the meetings using a covert camera hidden inside a mobile power bank. Audio and video clips have been played in court, though some recordings have been described as unclear.

Dr Besigye, his aide Obeid Lutale and UPDF Captain Denis Oola face treason charges arising from alleged meetings in Uganda and abroad between 2023 and 2024. The accused deny the charges, which carry a maximum penalty of death upon conviction. The trial continues, with the defence expected to challenge the credibility of the witness and the authenticity of the recordings.

The testimony has dominated proceedings in recent weeks and represents the most detailed public account so far of the prosecution’s case against one of Uganda’s most prominent opposition figures.