COURT | MUMBERE | TERRORISM

KAMPALA - Court has issued instructions, saying all cases against accused persons including Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere in Kasese terror trial will be heard at the same time unlike before.

This prompted High Court Judge Alice Komuhangi to direct the court registrar, Stella Beatrice Atingu, to liaise with the courts in Fort Portal, Kasese and Bundibugyo districts to ensure the accused persons attend trial through the audio-video link.

“I give you two weeks to enable suspects scattered in different areas to be organized before pre-trial starts,” she said.

The International Crimes Division of the High Court Judge said the new Rwenzururu Kingdom Prime Minister Joseph Kule Muranga is committed to assembling the accused persons to attend court on October 18, 2022.

Mumbere and the Kingdom’s former Prime Minister, Johnson Thembo Kitsumbire, have been attending proceedings at Kololo in Kampala while their co-accused have been reporting to courts in Fort Portal, Kasese and Bundibugyo, to renew their bail terms.

Komuhangi has also ordered the Prison authorities at Kirinya in Jinja to produce the 79 accused persons who are on remand to court on that day for trial.

The Chief State Attorney from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Lillian Omara, informed the court that she and the defence lawyer Alfred Mukasi had agreed on having the accused persons appear in court for pre-trial proceedings.

Offences

Mumbere and his co-accused face offences of treason, terrorism, murder, attempted murder and aggravated robbery. 

Prosecution alleges that the accused committed the crime in 2016. The offences attract maximum sentences of death and life imprisonment, upon conviction.

On November 27, 2016, Mumbere was arrested together with 203 royal guards at Buhikira Royal Palace in Kasese district and remanded to prison following an incident where over 100 lives were lost. The King was granted bail in 2017.

In 2018, a court based in Jinja district, committed Mumbere and the royal guards to the International Division of the High Court based in the city suburbs of Kololo for trial.

The King was granted bail but his movements were restricted within Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono districts.

Meanwhile, a total of 138 accused persons were released on bail in 2021 including six juveniles while 79 others are still on remand at Kirinya Prison in Jinja.

Bail application

A total of 51 suspects have also applied for bail before the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kampala.  

However, the judge has directed defence lawyer Alfred Mukasi to serve the Chief State Attorney Lillian Omara with documents of the sureties for verification, which he did before the closure of court business.

“We also need to peruse through the affidavit in reply for prosecution so that we understand the prepositions of a person who makes a deposition or affidavit under oath and see if we can rejoin or not,” Mukasi said.

The applicants argue that they have a constitutional right to apply for bail and that they are presumed innocent until found guilty of all the charges which they strongly believe are false and fabricated.

The applicants say they will not interfere with investigations and witnesses if released on bail.

Some of the applicants are Alex Bakulha, Erius Muhindo, January Kule, John Sibanza, Nelson Bwambale, Jafali Maate, Erya Kule Sibendire, Julius Masereka, Joshua Bwambale, Yokasi Bijwanga, Thembo Bagunda, Emmanuel Nzaghura and Seith Tibamwenda.