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March to Parliament: Four more anti-graft protesters granted bail
The four anti-graft protesters, including NTV presenter Faiza Salima, are seen in the dock at the Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s court in Kampala on July 30, 2024. PHOTO/JULIET KIGONGO
What you need to know:
- Buganda Road Court had on Monday granted bail to 15 demonstrators that had been held over the March to Parliament protests.
The Nakawa Chief Magistrate Court has today bailed four more youths accused of participating in last week’s anti-corruption March to Parliament protests.
Presiding Chief Magistrate Ritah Kidasa Neumbe released the group pending hearing of the case at a later date.
“I find the sureties substantial; the suspects have fulfilled the requirements for bail. I hereby release the accused persons on the following conditions, each of the suspect is to execute a cash bail of Shs200,000 while their sureties are bonded a non-cash bond of Shs500,000,” Neumbe held.
Those granted bail include 28-year-old NTV Uganda and KFM radio host Faiza Salima, Thomas Kanzira ,28, Bernard Olupot Ewalu,39, and 25-year-old Edgar Barlow Hamala.
Court declined to release 40-year-old Aljab Musinguzi on bail, reasoning that the introduction letter presented from the local council is different from his area of residence.
The trial chief magistrate also dropped the charge of being idle and disorderly, leaving the suspects with only one charge of common nuisance.
This was after prosecution led by Doreen Elima presented an amended charge sheet reasoning that it was an instruction from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to have the charge sheet amended, dropping the charge.
Grounds for bail included the suspects being involved in a bailable offence, having no criminal record and substantial sureties in addition to fixed places of abode and still presumed innocent.
According to the charge sheet, prosecution states that Kanzira, Salima, Olupot, Hamala, Musinguzi and others still at large on July 23, 2024 at Oasis Mall Nakumatt in Kampala District did an act of gathering together while shouting ‘Anite Among must resign and littering placards bearing the same words outside Oasis mall Nakumat, thereby causing annoyance, obstruction or inconvenience to the public in the exercise of common rights.
While more than 100 were jailed over the protests, Buganda Road Court on Monday granted bail to at least 15 demonstrators that had been held over the March to Parliament.
