Rashidah Nakaayi
What started out as a day of hope at the court-martial ended in tears for 34 National Unity Platform-NUP suspects who were denied bail and sent back to the coolers.
The general court-martial in Makindye barracks only granted bail to only 13 of the 49 suspects who applied to be released on Monday.
All the 49 who were charged with being in possession of 4 rounds of live ammunition at Makerere Kavule Kigundu zone, appeared before the court-martial chaired by Lt Gen Andrew Gutti.
However, singer Ali Bukeni aka Nubian Li, and private security guard Eddy Ssebufu aka Eddie Mutwe, and 34 others who have been on remand at Kitalya govt prison for close to 2 months now have still been denied bail.
The army prosecutors led by Capt.Ambrose Guma asked the General Court Martial not to grant bail to Nubian Li, Eddie Mutwe and 34 others after expressing security fears and said it would be wise to keep them in custody.
The legal counsel to the suspects Anthony Wameli trashed the claims and asked for evidence to prove that point.
Lt Gen Gutti only granted bail to those that needed medical attention after they fulfilled all the requirements and presented sureties under tight conditions.
Among the conditions is, they are not supposed to move outside Wakiso and Kampala districts, Meanwhile,, he sent the rest back to Kitalya prisons until Monday next week when the court gives a ruling.
The last time the suspects appeared in court, it stirred negative reaction from the NUP party members after some seemed tortured as they arrived either limping or carried by colleagues, singer Nubian’s signature dreads had equally been cut off.
They told the army court that they had been tortured after their arrest and needed medication that could not be provided by prison authorities.
