NUP Members worried of detained colleagues

By Olivia Nabaggala

5^th January 2020

Members of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) are concerned about the continued detention of their members by the courts of law.

This after four of the 126 suspects arrested in Kalangala on December 30^th 2020, including Eddie Mutwe, Kafuko Stanley and Kampala Lookman were further remanded to Prison until January 19, 2021 after they were read an additional six charges related to alleged destruction of police property and assault of police officers, among others.

Court in Masaka presided over by the Chief Magistrate Charles Yeteise granted a cash bail of shs 200,000 each to the 126 supporters and members of the campaign team of National Unity Platform (NUP) who have been in detention since their arrest from Kalangala last week.

The suspects were brought to court in two different batches and included Edward Sebuufu also known as Eddie Mutwe who is a private body guard to NUP presidential candidate Kyagulanyi.

The suspects were charged with inciting violence, obstruction of police officers on duty and engaging in acts that are likely to spread an infectious disease but they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The defense lawyers led by Fred Musisi applied for cash bail, saying that the offences were bail able and also cited the need to access health care for some of the suspects who were visibly in pain, claiming that they were tortured while in detention which court granted.

However Muwada Nkunyingi one of the defense lawyers says the state wants to inflict pain to their party by detaining their party members and voters but they are not shaken.