Court grants bail to 16 arrested NUP youths

By Elizabeth Ankunda

16^th Aug 2022

16 Youths from the National Unity Platform(NUP) who were arrested on Monday during the by-election campaigns for the vacant position of Councilor LC3 Bukesa Parish in Kampala Central have been arraigned before the Magistrate’s Court at the Law Development Center- LDC to answer charges of taking part in unlawful assembly.

The accused persons include one of the Candidates Winnie Adong and polling agents, Rashid Kika, Mary Nansubuga, Farouk Luyima, and Alex Kwagala among others.

Represented by their Lawyer Shamim Malende, also Kampala Central Woman Member of Parliament, the youths have appeared and denied the charges before Grade One Magistrate Martin Kirya.

Lawyer Malende immediately applied for their temporary release on bail which Magistrate Kirya accepted and granted to them on condition that they first deposit cash 200,000shs each while their Sureties sign a non cash bond of 500,000shs not cash and ensure that the accused persons return to Court on October 5^th, 2022 the trial to start.

Prosecution led by Hanifah Kasana informed the Court that the investigations against the accused persons have been completed and the Director of Public Prosecution -DPP is ready to provide evidence.

According to Kasana, the 16 accused persons together with other unknown persons allegedly assembled with an intention to carry out some common purpose of committing a breach of peace and caused reasonable fear in the Neighbourhood.

The by-election is scheduled for Thursday this week following a High Court ruling that nullified Hasifah Nambooze’s victory on bribery allegations.