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Buhweju MP Mwijukye accused of inciting violence, faces arrest
MP Francis Mwijukye at a recent function in Buhweju District. PHOTO | MILTON BANDIHO
What you need to know:
- During the proceedings, Grade One Magistrate Mr Dennis Kavuma rejected the defense's argument that Mr Mwijukye was in Kenya for medical treatment.
The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Buhweju has issued a warrant for the arrest of Buhweju County Member of Parliament, Mr Francis Mwijukye, following his failure to appear in court on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. This summons was related to charges of inciting violence.
During the proceedings, Grade One Magistrate Mr Dennis Kavuma rejected the defense's argument that Mr Mwijukye was in Kenya for medical treatment.
“Having heard from both submissions of both counsel for the accused and prosecution, and counsel for the accused having vehemently submitted that he was duly instructed by the accused /his client to represent him in this matter is an implication that the accused person is fully aware of this hearing,” he said.
The magistrate noted that the one-page document submitted by the defense does not substantiate the claim that the accused is abroad for medical reasons. “Therefore, I therefore issue an arrest warrant against the accused, I adjourn the case to August 14, 2024 at 9:00am.”
Mr Mwijukye's lawyer, Mr Moses Nuwagaba of Cumberland Advocates, expressed his concern over the magistrate's decision, labeling it as
surprising. He pointed out that both the state attorney and the defense had requested a one-month postponement to allow Mr Mwijukye to return from Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, where he is reportedly receiving medical care.
“Although Mr Mwijukye was reportedly served with summons through the Clerk to Parliament, there is no evidence of the return of those summons in the case file. This lack of documentation should have prompted the issuance of fresh summons rather than an arrest warrant,” Mr. Nuwagaba stated.
Mr Mwijukye is accused of inciting violence in May, at Rwanyamabare Catholic Church in Nyakishana Sub County, Buhweju District, amidst an ongoing land dispute involving the church and a local resident.
Mwijukye has accused security operatives in his constituency of laxity after he was attacked and injured during land dispute by stick-wielding assailants shortly after attending mass at Rwanayamabare Catholic church in Nyakishana Sub County in Buhweju West constituency, Buhweju District. The MP and several other members of the congregation were hospitalized with serious injuries following the attack.
Photos of the MP bleeding from the head were widely shared on different social media platforms he later told this publication that he had been attacked by about 16 suspected goons hired from Kampala by one of the residents involved in a land wrangle with Rwanyamabare church.
