Prominent Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye has appeared before a military court in the capital, Kampala, where he has denied charges that include the illegal possession of firearms and negotiating to buy arms abroad.

Kenya's government said it was investigating how a prominent Ugandan opposition leader was spirited out of Nairobi this week, amid growing criticism that it had failed to protect foreign dissidents on its soil.

A Ugandan military court in Kampala has ordered former opposition presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye, and his travel companion, Obeid Lutale, to be held in pretrial detention in a prison, the latest example of Uganda’s authorities misusing military courts and military-related charges to clamp down on the opposition.

A well-known Ugandan opposition figure appeared in a military court Wednesday days after he was reported missing in neighboring Kenya, and denied a charge of seeking military support from abroad to destabilize Uganda’s military forces.

Kizza Besigye, a former presidential candidate, went missing over the weekend as he visited the Kenyan capital, reappearing days later in military custody back in Uganda.

The wife of Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye says he was kidnapped in neighboring Kenya and is being held in a Ugandan military jail.

The arrest of a Ugandan opposition figure in Kenya was carried out with Nairobi's knowledge, a Ugandan government spokesperson told AFP Friday.

Uganda’s Minister of Information, Communications Technology, and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi, has revealed intricate details about Kenya’s involvement in the arrest of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye.