Kyagulanyi’s bodyguards charged and remanded to Masaka prison

MASAKA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | Three bodyguards of the National Unity Platform-NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentantu alias Bobi Wine have been charged with five counts of robbery and assault to female journalists.

The suspects including Achilleo Kivumbi, Grace Wakabi alias Smart-wa Bobi and Gadafi Mugumya, were on Wednesday charged before Masaka Grade one Magistrate Abudallah Kayiira who remanded them to prison up to March 13th.

They were arrested last week from different parts of Kampala before they were transferred to Masaka Central Police Station on Tuesday.

Court heard that the three and others still at large committed the offences in May last year, at Manja village in Kisekka sub-county, Lwengo district during the burial of the UK-based businessman Pascal Ssekasamba.

According to the charge sheet, the suspects assaulted and damaged a video camera of Zainabu Namusaazi, a journalist working with Next Media group and shattered a smartphone belonging to Margret Kayondo, a correspondent with Radio Simba.

The other charges include stealing two more smartphones, theft of 200,000 shillings and causing grievous body harm to three other people whom they allegedly trounce in a scuffle that ensued at the burial.

Prosecution led by Michael Wakosesa, a Senior State Attorney told the court that the accused had in their possession sharp bayonets that they used against the victims, hence qualifying them to face charges of aggravated robbery.

He asked court to remand accused persons to allow the state time to conclude investigations in the matter and to arrest their suspects still on the run, such that they can be jointly charged. The accused persons who were represented by NUP party lawyers; Samuel Muyizzi and Magellan Kazibwe were not allowed to take plea after the trial magistrate ruled that the lower court does not have jurisdiction to hear a matter of aggravated robbery; one of the counts they are charged with.

However, Muyizzi, one of the lawyers of the accused person has raised serious objection to the Director of Public Prosecution for charging the suspects with aggravated robbery without substantial evidence to justify it.

He argues that charges against accused persons are fabricated to meet political scores against the NUP party.

Notably, trouble for Kyagulanyi’s bodyguards arises from scenes of bitter altercations in which the Kimanya-Kabonera MP Abed Bwanika openly castigated the NUP President for sponsoring disparaging attacks against some party members who do not agree with his leadership style.

According to witnesses, Kivumbi instructed his other colleagues to grab a microphone from Bwanika, which resulted in a physical scuffle that became of interest to journalists.

Zainabu Namusaazi indicates in her police statement, that bodyguards instructed her not to film the scenes and when she insisted, they furiously pounced on her before destroying the gadgets and other properties were lost.

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URN