Controversial Makerere University Don Dr Stella Nyanzi has Monday been arraigned in court with the State asking for the examination of her mental state before being remanded to Luzira prison until April 25th.
Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Eremye Mawanda declined to hear bail application until state application is disposed; State Attorney Jonathan Mugwanya told court that that there was evidence that Nyanzi was a patient at Butabika with history of erratic psychiatric disorder.
Mugwanya went ahead and called for Nyanzi’s temporary detention at Luzira Prison referral hospital for 14 days as the medical examination takes place.
Dr Nyanzi pleaded not guilty to charges of cyber harassment and offensive communication. Says she is a writer and her language is metaphoric, uses idioms and allegories to describe the situation.
“How many times has Museveni offended Ugandans? I have written a lot but I’m not guilty of offensive communication,” Nyanzi told a full packed courtroom.
Nyanzi further asked the court to clearly state who the ‘offended’ is.
Dr Nyanzi was then charged with two counts including cyber harassment contrary to section 24 (1)(2)(a) of the Computer misuse Act 2011 and offensive communication contrary to section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act 2011.
In the first count, prosecution alleges that “Dr Nyanzi on January 28, 2017 at Kampala District or thereabout used a computer to post on her Facbook page “Stella Nyanzi” wherein she made a suggestion or proposal referring to His Excellence Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as among others “a pair of buttocks” which suggestion/ proposal is obscene or indecent.”
In the second count, prosecution states that Dr Nyanzi “between January 2017 and march 2017 in Kampala district wilfully and repeatedly used electronic communication to post messages offensive in nature via Facebook, transmitted over the internet to disturb or attempted to disturb the peace, quiet or right of privacy of his excellency the president of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni with no purpose of legitimate communication.
