Kampala Capital City deputy lord mayor Doreen Nyanjura and Soroti District Woman MP Anna Adeke Ebaju and are among the six people that have been remanded to Luzira prison over staging an unlawful assembly and inciting violence.
Others remanded today include former Mbale District Woman MP aspirant Margaret Wokuri Madanda, Susan Nanyonjo, Mariam Kizito and Alice Among. The group on Monday evening appeared before the Law Development Centre court acting chief magistrate Augustine Alule who charged them with inciting violence and unlawfully assembly.
Court heard that earlier in the morning today, while at Mulago roundabout, the accused persons printed posters and made statements without lawful excuse at an assembly, made statements to members of the public indicating or implying that it would be desirable to demonstrate, an act which was reportedly calculated to lead to destruction or damage to property.
But the accused persons have denied the charges and through their lawyers led by Erias Lukwago, Ivan Bwowe and Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa asked to be released on bail. The lawyers argued that the accused persons hold positions of responsibility in different capacities in this country and that they have never been convicted or given bail previously and they skipped it.
The lawyers asked court to release them on a non cash bail, arguing that it was late since the banks had already closed by the time they were arraigned in court. In response, the magistrate Alule informed them that the accused persons had each brought two sureties whom he needed to first look through their documents and besides this, there were other suspects he had to attend to.
As such, Alule remanded the suspects to up to tomorrow for further hearing of their bail application. Trouble for the accused persons started today when they went to Mulago roundabout with posters and placards protesting the continued increase of commodity prices. The group was also protesting against what they termed as several injustices brought by the government especially when the economy is not doing well such as allocation of Shs 1.8 billion to use on a daily basis for State House when the country doesn’t have money among others.
They were later arrested by police and detained briefly at Wandegeya police station in Kampala before producing them in court for plea taking. The remand of the six people comes a few days after the former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Dr Kizza Besigye with whom they subscribe to the same party, was also charged of similar charges and remanded to Luzira prison.
Besigye has since opted to stay on remand after refusing to pay Shs 30 million bail cash, saying it was exorbitant.
