A Ugandan man is in custody facing treason charges after allegedly fabricating assassination plots involving both Kenya’s President William Ruto and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, in a case that briefly rattled high-level security channels between the two countries.
The revelations were made by veteran Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda, who described how the suspect, identified as Amon, manipulated sensitive intelligence claims to gain access to top leadership in both Kampala and Nairobi.
According to Mwenda, Amon initially approached Ugandan authorities claiming he had credible intelligence about a plot to assassinate President Ruto.
The alleged plan, he said, involved militant groups including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Al-Shabaab.
“He lied to Museveni that he had information about a plot to kill the Kenyan president,” Mwenda stated. “The president felt there was credibility in the information and called Ruto.”
Museveni reportedly advised his Kenyan counterpart to grant Amon an audience to present the intelligence directly.
Amon subsequently travelled to Nairobi, where he briefed President Ruto on the alleged threats.
“He asked him to give audience to Amon and listen to him,” Mwenda added.
The Kenyan leader, following established security protocol, referred the claims to national security agencies for verification. Investigations by Kenyan security services, however, found no evidence to support Amon’s assertions.
“They found it was unfounded and wrote a report to Ruto saying so,” Mwenda said. “Ruto got the report and sent it to Museveni by special envoy.”
The situation took a dramatic turn after Amon reportedly became aware that his claims had been discredited. Mwenda states that the suspect managed to access President Ruto again under unclear circumstances.
“When Amon learnt that the Kenyan security services had debunked his story as fake, he found his way back to Ruto,” Mwenda explained. “How? No one knows.”
During this second encounter, Amon allegedly changed his narrative, this time accusing President Museveni of being behind a plot to assassinate President Ruto.
“This time he told Ruto that Museveni was the one planning to kill the Kenyan president,” Mwenda said.
President Ruto is said to have handled the matter cautiously, forwarding the new claims to President Museveni for scrutiny. The communication triggered swift action in Uganda.
“Ruto listened carefully to Amon and passed on Amon’s report to Museveni,” Mwenda noted.
Upon his return to Uganda, Amon was arrested and charged with treason — a serious offence under Ugandan law that carries severe penalties upon conviction.
“When Amon returned to Uganda, he was immediately arrested, charged with treason and is now languishing in Luzira as his trial proceeds,” Mwenda said.