Minister’s wife denies acid attack
Jun 15, 2009
A minister’s wife and a colleague implicated in an acid attack on her co-wife have been charged with attempted murder, which they denied. Harriet Halima Nsimiire Rukutana is one of the four wives of higher education state minister Mwesigwa Rukutana.
By Herbert Ssempogo
A minister’s wife and a colleague implicated in an acid attack on her co-wife have been charged with attempted murder, which they denied.
Harriet Halima Nsimiire Rukutana is one of the four wives of higher education state minister Mwesigwa Rukutana. She is jointly charged with Bright Niwaninda. Rukutana’s niece, Hope Ashaba, also faces the same charges.
The Makindye Chief Magistrates Court, where they were charged, was packed to capacity when the trial kicked off yesterday.
The prosecutor said the 36-year-old Halima connived with Niwaninda to kill her co-wife Gloria Ankunda Rukutana and Rina Ntorinwe with acid. He charged that the attack took place in Kabowa, a Kampala suburb, on May 21. Niwaninda, 42, is a private security guard.
The charges came after the prosecutor informed court that investigations into the matter were complete.
When they appeared in court yesterday, the accused stood side-by-side in the wooden dock and denied any involvement in the lethal attack.
The charges were read to Niwaninda in Runyankole while another court official read them to a veiled Halima in English.
Halima walked into the courtroom at about 11:00am. There was no sign of family members in the courtroom.
Halima has been married to Rukutana for over 15 years and has three children with him.
After the charges were read, Halima’s lawyer Precious Ngabirano asked for bail for her. He presented Halima’s brother, Abas Niwamanya and the Nakulabye-Kiyindi local council chairperson, Suleiman Nuwagaba, as sureties.
The prosecutor, Grace Nabaggala, however, protested the request for bail, saying Halima’s actions had affected the victim’s lives and that the relationship between Nuwagaba and the accused was not clear.
“Prosecution has not been able to peruse the file properly. I, therefore, seek an adjournment to enable me reply to counsel’s application,†Nabaggala stated. The fact that Nuwagaba resides in Nakulabye while Halima stays in Buziga, a suburb, presented a problem, she added.
In response, Ngabirano argued that once the charge sheet is presented, it means the prosecution is ready for the court procedure and, therefore, there was no need for an adjournment.
He dismissed Nabaggala’s objection to the sureties, saying they were “substantial†and were capable of ensuring that the suspect did not abscond.
Despite the argument, the magistrate deferred the ruling until June 24 when Halima, Niwaninda and Ashaba return to court for another hearing.
At this point, Halima became hysterical and wailed loudly while punching the courtroom walls. The warders grabbed her and led her to the court cells before remanding her again to Luzira Prisons.
Rukutana yesterday said he was “relaxing†in Ntungamo district following the give-away ceremony of his daughter, Maureen Katushabe, on Saturday. “I will allow the due process of the court to take its course,†he said in a telephone interview. He also revealed that Gloria and Ntorinwe were improving.
Halima manages three family prime properties in the city, among them the imposing Millennium Chambers on the Kampala-Entebbe highway.
A minister’s wife and a colleague implicated in an acid attack on her co-wife have been charged with attempted murder, which they denied.
Harriet Halima Nsimiire Rukutana is one of the four wives of higher education state minister Mwesigwa Rukutana. She is jointly charged with Bright Niwaninda. Rukutana’s niece, Hope Ashaba, also faces the same charges.
The Makindye Chief Magistrates Court, where they were charged, was packed to capacity when the trial kicked off yesterday.
The prosecutor said the 36-year-old Halima connived with Niwaninda to kill her co-wife Gloria Ankunda Rukutana and Rina Ntorinwe with acid. He charged that the attack took place in Kabowa, a Kampala suburb, on May 21. Niwaninda, 42, is a private security guard.
The charges came after the prosecutor informed court that investigations into the matter were complete.
When they appeared in court yesterday, the accused stood side-by-side in the wooden dock and denied any involvement in the lethal attack.
The charges were read to Niwaninda in Runyankole while another court official read them to a veiled Halima in English.
Halima walked into the courtroom at about 11:00am. There was no sign of family members in the courtroom.
Halima has been married to Rukutana for over 15 years and has three children with him.
After the charges were read, Halima’s lawyer Precious Ngabirano asked for bail for her. He presented Halima’s brother, Abas Niwamanya and the Nakulabye-Kiyindi local council chairperson, Suleiman Nuwagaba, as sureties.
The prosecutor, Grace Nabaggala, however, protested the request for bail, saying Halima’s actions had affected the victim’s lives and that the relationship between Nuwagaba and the accused was not clear.
“Prosecution has not been able to peruse the file properly. I, therefore, seek an adjournment to enable me reply to counsel’s application,†Nabaggala stated. The fact that Nuwagaba resides in Nakulabye while Halima stays in Buziga, a suburb, presented a problem, she added.
In response, Ngabirano argued that once the charge sheet is presented, it means the prosecution is ready for the court procedure and, therefore, there was no need for an adjournment.
He dismissed Nabaggala’s objection to the sureties, saying they were “substantial†and were capable of ensuring that the suspect did not abscond.
Despite the argument, the magistrate deferred the ruling until June 24 when Halima, Niwaninda and Ashaba return to court for another hearing.
At this point, Halima became hysterical and wailed loudly while punching the courtroom walls. The warders grabbed her and led her to the court cells before remanding her again to Luzira Prisons.
Rukutana yesterday said he was “relaxing†in Ntungamo district following the give-away ceremony of his daughter, Maureen Katushabe, on Saturday. “I will allow the due process of the court to take its course,†he said in a telephone interview. He also revealed that Gloria and Ntorinwe were improving.
Halima manages three family prime properties in the city, among them the imposing Millennium Chambers on the Kampala-Entebbe highway.