Due to poor health, Allan Ssewanyana, the Makindye West MP, was unable to enter the International Crimes Division High Court in Kololo. On Monday morning, the lawmaker was driven to court in a white Alphard car.
According to Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa, his attorney, they encouraged the lawmaker to skip the court hearing because he was ill. Ssewanyana continued to recline in the car as the court hearing went on with a cannula on his arm.
Ssewanyana was prepared to enter the courtroom on a stretcher, according to Muyizzi, but he was persuaded to change his mind since “having suspects stretched to court is not the practice of the court” and even the defense team would be unable to interact with the court in this way.
He also informed the court that Ssewanyana planned to come before the court’s registrar to request the release of his passport so he could receive additional medical care in Nairobi, Kenya. To grant his client a month to get the necessary care, Muyizzi asked the court. The co-accused John Mugera’s attorney, Robert Muhereza, didn’t raise any objections to the adjournment other than for the time period.
He requested that only three weeks be granted, claiming that a month would be excessive given that his client was still behind bars. As the matter of one’s health is so important, the prosecution, which is being headed by Richard Birivumbuka, the Masaka Resident Chief State Attorney, did not oppose to the adjournment.
Yet he asserted that a month is excessive in light of the fact that other accused are still being held on remand. He also asked for three weeks, like Muhereza. Jackson Kanyike, Bull Wamala, Mike Sserwandda, and Jude Muwonge are the other suspects who are still being held without bail. They are being represented by Counsel Geoffrey Turyamusiima, who the court has been informed is still in the Bugisu sub-region where his partner Counsel Anthony Wameli was laid to rest over the weekend.
Two guys helped Muhammad Ssegirinya, a member of parliament for Kawempe North, enter the courtroom. Hence, the judge, Alice Komuhangi, set a new date for the case’s return for pretrial conferences: March 27, 2023.
The remaining five suspects were further remanded, with the exception of the two members of parliament who are free on bail. During the court session, Muyizzi spoke with the media and stated that his clients are not psychologically and physically prepared to begin pre-trial.
In order for the attorneys for the other accused to understand the circumstances and recognize the merit in the petition for adjournment, he said, they allowed Muhammad Segiringa to attend court. He added that they will now move through with the process of requesting the release of Sewanyana’s passport so that he could receive treatment in Nairobi.
The two lawmakers were released on cash bail on February 13th, 2023 by Masaka High Court Resident Judge Lawrence Tweyanze after more than a year in custody and multiple unsuccessful attempts to post bail.
The suspects are accused of numerous offenses, including terrorism, attempted murder, and murder. The two MPs and their co-accused allegedly took part in the Greater Masaka machete killings with the intention of intimidating the populace for political, religious, social, or commercial benefit.
In addition to being accused of supporting terrorism, the two MPs who were detained on September 7th, 2021, are also accused of organizing terrorism between January and August 2021 in the broader Masaka subregion.
