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36 FDC members remanded to Luzira on terrorism charges
The suspects appeared before the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court on Monday. Photo | URN
What you need to know:
- Chief Magistrate Elias Kakooza denied them the opportunity to respond to the charges due to the nature of the offence, which falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
Thirty-six members of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Katonga faction have been remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of terrorism. The group, comprising 34 men and 2 women, appeared before the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court on Monday.
Chief Magistrate Elias Kakooza denied them the opportunity to respond to the charges due to the nature of the offence, which falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
"The prosecution alleges that between July 22nd and 23rd, 2024, the group, along with others still at large, traveled from various places in Uganda to Kisumu, Kenya, to provide or receive terrorist training," said Chief State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka.
The group has been remanded until August 31st, 2024. Trouble began for the group on July 22nd, 2024, when they departed for a week-long training aimed at improving young leaders' leadership and communication skills.
"We were arrested at gunpoint on July 23 by masked men, loaded onto trucks, and driven overnight to arrive in Busia at 6am on July 24," said one of the accused.
The leadership training was intended to precede the Delegates Conference set for August 8th, 2024, where party leaders would be elected.
The arrest of the FDC members comes at a time when Kenya is recovering from violent protests caused by the controversial Finance Bill.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has stated that the Ugandan protestors were planning much worse than the "idle and disorderly" charges filed by the police.
"Museveni claimed that the police officer who preferred the charges was unaware of the intelligence he possessed, promising evidence that would shock the nation," said a source.
