Court Martial adjourns case hearing against NUP supporters

By Rachael Najjuma

28^th Feb 2022

The Makindye Court Martial has this Monday declined to proceed with the hearing of the matter where 32 National Unity Platform -NUP supporters are battling charges of illegal possession of explosive devices after two of the accused persons missing in court.

This Monday when the matter came up for hearing, the prosecution led by Lt. Colonel Raphael  Mugisha informed court that they couldn’t proceed because two of the accused namely Swaibu Katabi and Muhydan Kakooza were not in court yet it’s their constitutional right to be around during the hearing thus the matter needed to be adjourned.

This prompted the Chairman Lt General Andrewa Gutti to adjourn the matter until tomorrow after being informed that the two accused that missed court were terribly sick with one Kakooza being taken for mental examination to determine his mental condition.

Kakooza in the last court proceeding displayed anger in court while shouting at the judge seeking to be released from prison together with his co accused where they have spent quiet awhile just because they are supporters of NUP party president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu something he said shouldn’t be a crime.

Lead defense counsel in the matter George Musisi says prosecution is only playing around delaying justice for his people to the extent that till now it hasn’t even disclosed to them.

Military prosecutors accuse the suspects together with others still at large of being found in illegal possession of 13 explosive devices, which are ordinarily the monopoly of the defense forces.

According to the prosecution, the suspects committed the offenses between November 2020 and May 2021 in Jinja, Mbale, Kireka, Nakulabye, Kawempe, Natete, and Kampala Central.

Trouble for the suspects who have been on remand since June 2021  started when UPDF accused them of plotting to stage petrol bomb attacks targeting government vehicles and buildings in various places in the country ahead of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2021, whom they reportedly never wanted to be sworn in.

It came after Museveni defeated the NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu in the January 2021 polls.