Parliament intruders granted bail

Feb 25, 2020

Nathan Mpenje, counsel for the accused persons asked court to grant them bail on grounds that they were beaten and tortured during the process of arrest and have substantial sureties and a fixed place of abode.

COURT

KAMPALA-City Hall court has granted bail to two men who allegedly stormed parliament during plenary last week.

Last week, Charles Mutaasa Kafeero and Dafala Ssenjako appeared before grade one magistrate Fatuma Nabirye on charges of criminal trespass and malicious damage.

The accused reportedly belong to the Redtop Brigade, a political activist group in Kampala.

The duo denied the charges and was remanded to Luzira prison.

Nathan Mpenje, counsel for the accused persons asked court to grant them bail on grounds that they were beaten and tortured during the process of arrest and have substantial sureties and a fixed place of abode.

This prompted the magistrate to grant them a cash bail of sh1m each and sureties bonded at a non-cash bail of sh1m each.

The case was adjourned to March 10, 2020, for mention.

The prosecution alleges that the accused persons Mutaasa Kafeero and Ssenjako on 19 February this year unlawfully entered the premises of parliament and destroyed property in there.

There was chaos in Parliament on the afternoon of  February 19, 2020, when the two men, Mutaasa Kafeero and Ssenkjako both members of the red top brigade, a ragtag group that supports some opposition politicians, jumped from the gallery and fell into the chambers as MPs debated.

This happened at about 4:30 pm as MPs debated a document submitted to Parliament by lands state minister Persis Namuganza.

The two suspects jumped to the side where the MPs of the ruling National Resistance Movement sit and this caused fear and panic among MPs.

The two were wearing red berets, and there was a scuffle as the MPs tried to confront the two men. Security came in and the two were whisked away.

It took the intervention of the staff of the Sergeant at Arms of Parliament, the Police and the legislators themselves to apprehend the intruders.

The New Vision established that the invaders accessed Parliament formally by signing into the registration book with their full names.

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