The families of the embattled Kawempe North Member of Parliament (MP) Muhamad Ssegirinya and his Makindye West comrade Allan Ssewanyana nearly exchanged punches at the Crimes War Division of the High Court.

The exchange of bitter words started immediately when Justice Elizabeth Jane Alividza, the pre-trial presiding Judge adjourned the matter to 1st September, 2022, Ssewanyana’s mother lost her temper and blasted Ssegirinya and his mother Nakajumba Ssanyu for always playing comedy and dramatizing the situation whenever they see the cameras infront of them.

“We are also hurt because our son is being imprisoned for nothing, but this comedy must stop, we are not here for cameras please, give us a break, we are tired of you people, you always come with your personal motive of making news, enough is enough,” Ssewanyana’s mother told Ssegirinya’s family members.

She was supported by her young daughters and the husband who advised her to leave the place because she has high blood pressure and she was taken away.

Ssewanyana’s mother first lost her temper when Ssegirinya started protesting in front of the cameras and stopped walking insisting that he wanted to first talk to his brother who was among the many people at Court, when the prison warders refused him, he pretended that the warder had hurt his stomach while pushing him and he could not walk.

He was handcuffed with Ssewanyana but his resistance from walking was giving Ssewanyana a lot of pain which forced Ssewanyana’s mother to blast the stubborn Ssegirinya.

When the prison warders forced him to walk to Court Cells, his mother started crying on top of her voice calling the name of the newly appointed Justice and Constitution Minister Norbert Mao to save his son from being imprisoned for nothing.

She was supported by other NUP supporters who raised their voices at prison warders accusing them of mistreating and harassing their people as if they were criminals and warning them that one day those who are not in uniform with guns will pay for it.

STATE WANTED TO HIDE SOME WITNESSES

Before this drama, the state, through Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Lino Anguzo told Court that he had filed an ex-perte application to protect some of the state witnesses who are set to testify against the accused.

He explained that they have witnesses who they don’t want the public to see, who have serious evidence that will help Court to deliver justice to both the accused and the deceased.

Recently, Butambala district woman MP who also doubles as NUP’s deputy secretary general, Hajjat Aisha Kabanda, revealed to theGrapevine that security agencies are threatening their members especially youths who were close to the accused legislators that if they don’t testify against them, they will test the state’s power.

“Those boys don’t know what happened in Masaka where the alleged crimes were committed but because they were friends to the MP, state wants to use them to score their political goals,” Kabanda said.

State alleges that the legislators together with Jackson Kanyike, Jude Muwonge, Buulu Wamala, Mike Ssemanda masterminded and commanded the pang wielding men who murdered 28 elderly persons in greater Masaka.

State also alleges that the crimes were committed on political grounds because the legislators wanted to incite the public against President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government that it had failed to protect them and their properties.

State also disclosed to the defense 19 other witnesses’ statements, post-mortem reports, medical reports and sketch maps of the crime scenes which will be relied on in the main trial.

Justice Alividza promised that the pre-trial will be concluded in September.

DEFENSE WANTS CO-ACCUSED RELEASED OVER ILLEGAL STAY IN PRISON

The presiding judge also gave the state upto 01/09/2022 to respond to counsel Geoffrey Turyamusima’s submissions that his client Jude Muwonge is illegally detained at Kigo government prisons.

Turyamusima told Court that his client was not charged with the accused and was not given the committal papers to be tried with murder, attempted murder and terrorism charges.

He pleaded to Court that his client should be unconditionally released with immediate effect.

State lead prosecutor Lino asked for more time to consult Justice Jane Abodo the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for guidance and a briefing on why Muwonge was not given the committal papers.

Turyamusima further told Court that before the main trial kicks off, he wants to file an application to the Human Rights Enforcement over the torture of his clients by state operatives.

He explained that his clients were badly beaten and tortured when they were forcing them to make statements pinning Ssegirinya and Ssewanyana of masterminding the greater Masaka killings.

SSEGIRINYA, SSEWANYANA FILE FRESH BAIL APPLICATIONS

Caleb Alaka, the lead defense lawyer to Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya revealed that they have filed fresh bail application in the Crimes War Division of the High Court seeking for a temporally release of their clients.

Alaka told the Court that three justices of the Court of Appeal guided them that they should file their bail application at the High Court not the Court of Appeal where they have gone.

The High Court has severally dismissed the legislators’ application for bail basing on strong grounds from the state who challenged the grant of the applications.

By Sengooba Alirabaki