Court finally dismisses 1 charge against MP Mohammed Ssegirinya

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has dismissed charges of inciting violence against Kawempe North Member of Parliament Muhammad Ssegirinya.

The charges for which Ssegirinya was arrested on March 22, 2021, were dismissed on the basis that there was no sufficient evidence that would warrant Ssegirinya to defend himself against the allegations.

Ssegirinya had been accused of staging a protest at Mini-Price in Kampala against the outcome of last year’s presidential election and demanding the release of National Unity Platform supporters most of whom were at that time detained in various facilities across the country.

He allegedly marched through the streets of Kampala holding placards with a list of names of people who had been arrested during the 2020/2021 campaigns. They included Councillor James Mubiru and Musician Ali Bukeni also known as Nubian Li, who was arrested during a campaign rally in Kalangala.

The prosecutors presented three witnesses namely; Erias Kijjampora, the investigating officer, Flavia Musimenta, the Officer in Charge of the MiniPrice police post who arrested Ssegirinya before handing him to Kampala Central Police Station, and CPS Operations Officer David Nahamya who participated in the arrest and recording statements.

However, Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu said that the Prosecution has not ably proved the ingredients of the case. Kamasanyu added that there were contradictions on who exactly among the state witnesses recorded and captured Ssegirinya’s protest in a video as well as his statement at the Central Police Station.

The court has also heard that the witnesses didn’t tell who exactly was incited by Ssegirinya’s protest and that the available evidence shows that the violence started after the police officers arrived at the scene where he was leading a procession from.

As a result, Ssegirinya who appeared in court via the zoom app, without legal representation was exonerated of the charges. However, he faces a similar charge before Grade One Magistrate Siena Owomugisha, as a result of his Facebook posts while at the same time, he remains in jail on separate charges of murder and attempted murder.

Speaking to Uganda Radio Network, the National Unity Platform Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said that the decision by Court has given them hope that Ssegirinya will also win the pending cases against him in the High Court.

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