DPP withdraws case against musicians accused of disturbing the President’s peace

Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | The Director of Public Prosecution Mike Chibita  withdrew charges of offensive communication against two local Musicians; David Mugema and Jonathan Muwanguzi, who had been accused of disturbing the peace of the President.

Mugema and Muwanguzi are alleged to have sang and produced a song titled ” Mzee Wumula” in which they attacked the person and age of the president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

They had been accused of committing the offence between 2015 and 2017 at Salama road in Makindye Division-Kampala district.

However since their arrest in September last year, they have been reporting at Buganda Road Court for trial of their case, but no progress was being shown by Prosecutions’s Abdul Salaam Waiswa, prompting presiding Grade one Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu to give him the last adjournment on 13th/March/2018 to produce witnesses today, failure of which she was to dismiss it.

It’s against this background that Prosecution’s Waiswa presented a withdrawal letter to Court dated and signed by the DPP on 10th this month, indicating that he had discontinued proceedings against the two musicians, although no reasons were given.

Magistrate Kamasanyu then closed the case, discharged the accused persons and ordered that the State should return the confiscated equipment to Mugema and Muwanguzi, without any conditions.

They were represented by Counsel Abdallah Kiwanuka who says he will have to sit with his clients later to determine if they will sue government for malicious prosecution.