The judge’s concern stems from the slow pace of the proceedings. Since the bail hearings began on June 1, the court has managed to vet sureties for only 15 of the 23 applicants seeking release on bail.
The hearing of a bail application involving former Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi and several co-accused persons suffered a setback on Monday after the presiding judge criticized defence lawyers for failing to comply with court directives regarding the submission of surety details.
Justice Susan Okalany of the International Crimes Division of the High Court expressed frustration after discovering that the defence team had not filed written particulars for the sureties as ordered during the previous court session.
Last week, the judge directed lawyers representing the 13 remaining bail applicants to submit comprehensive information about each surety, organized according to the applicants they were standing for. The documents were intended to streamline the verification process and speed up the hearing of the bail applications.
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However, when the matter returned to court on June 8, Justice Okalany noted that the required documentation had not been filed. She warned that the court would not consider granting bail to any applicant whose sureties had not been properly identified and supported by the necessary records from their places of residence.
The judge’s concern stems from the slow pace of the proceedings. Since the bail hearings began on June 1, the court has managed to vet sureties for only 15 of the 23 applicants seeking release on bail.
Among the applicants are several students, including Wakikaatu Joseph, a final-year Education student at Makerere University.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions complied with an earlier court directive by assigning a new prosecution team headed by Chief State Attorney Jacquelyn Okui. The previous prosecutors were reportedly engaged in ongoing proceedings related to the treason case involving opposition figure Kizza Besigye.
Due to the delays, Justice Okalany informed the defence team, led by lawyer Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa, that the remaining bail applications would be heard during the last week of June. She explained that she would be occupied with preparations for the resumption of the terrorism trial involving former Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) leader Jamil Mukulu, scheduled for June 15 to 19.
Although Kivumbi is among the applicants whose sureties have already been approved by the court, a date for the bail ruling has not yet been set because the hearing process remains incomplete.
In a pointed remark, Justice Okalany questioned whether the defence lawyers were relying on the Luganda proverb “Akwata empola atuuka wala, bbugu bbugu simuliro,” implying that their slow approach was unnecessarily delaying the proceedings.
The case was adjourned to June 22, 2026, when the court is expected to continue hearing the remaining eight bail applications before determining when rulings will be delivered.
Kivumbi and 24 co-accused persons face terrorism-related charges arising from post-election violence that allegedly occurred in Gomba and Kibibi following the January 15 general elections. Prosecutors accuse the group of masterminding attacks on Kibibi Police Station and a district vote-tallying centre, incidents that reportedly left seven people dead.
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