General Court Martial sentences NUP supporters for treachery

KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The General Court Martial in Makindye has sentenced 16 National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters to three months and 22 days in prison on charges of treachery and possession of 13 explosive devices. The convicts were also cautioned for the illegal possession of ammunition.

The individuals sentenced are Olivia Lutaaya, Rashid Ssegujja, David Mafabi, Robert Christopher Rugumayo, Muhydin Kakooza, Abdul Matovu, Mesearch Kiwanuka, Simon Kijambu, Ibrahim Wandera, Stanley Lwanga, Steven Musaakaru, Ronald Kijjambu, Asubat Nagwere, Livingstone Katushabe, Matovu Sharif, and Swaibu Katabi.

Notably, Muhydin Kakooza has a history of attempting to disrupt court proceedings and was previously sentenced to eight months for contempt of court. Two days prior, all 16 were convicted after pleading guilty, and on Wednesday, they were sentenced by a seven-member panel led by Brigadier Robert Freeman Mugabe. In his ruling, Mugabe considered that the accused were first-time offenders and had pleaded guilty.

He also noted that they had spent three years, four months, and eight days on remand, and an additional 16 months on trial. Initially, a five-year jail term was pronounced, but Mugabe deducted the time they had already served, resulting in the final sentence of three months and 22 days at Luzira Prison.

The convicts were informed of their right to appeal if they were dissatisfied with the ruling. However, many, led by Muhydin Kakooza, expressed their intention to appeal, stating that after pleading guilty and spending over three years on remand, they had hoped not to be sent back to prison. During the court session, they called on President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to pardon them.

The convicts avoided a possible death sentence, which is the maximum penalty for treachery under the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Act, as well as a potential ten-year prison term for illegal possession of ammunition. The conviction leaves 13 other suspects still facing charges after they refused to plead guilty.

Trouble for the convicted individuals began when the Uganda Police Force accused them of planning petrol bomb attacks targeting government properties and vehicles in multiple locations across the country, coinciding with President Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2021.

According to police reports, the accused were supporters of NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu and believed he won the previous general elections, allegedly prompting them to oppose Museveni’s swearing-in. Authorities linked them to orchestrated attacks on sites including the Kasubi Royal Tombs, the former Jinja Resident City Commissioner Eric Sakwa’s residence in Nakulabye, the Uganda Registration Services Bureau, and Katwe Police Station.

The accused were eventually arrested by operatives from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and brought to court. Despite multiple attempts, their bail applications were consistently denied, leading to prolonged periods in detention. NUP supporters claim the convicts were coerced into pleading guilty after enduring years in prison, allegedly influenced by state agents, including Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, who reportedly convinced them that pleading guilty was their only chance of freedom.

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