Arrest warrant against Kakwenza
Court in Kampala has issued an arrest for the embattled Novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija who is recently fled into exile abroad.
The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Dr. Douglas Singiza issued the warrant on Wednesday because neither Kakwenza nor his sureties turned up for hearing of his case on offensive communication.
His sureties are David Lewis Rubongoya, Julius Galisonga Kololo Secondary School Teacher Annah Ashaba, and activist Job Kiija.
Singiza has issued criminal summons to the sureties to explain the whereabouts of Kakwenza.
This development followed an appeal by the State Attorney Joan Keko who asked the court to act on grounds that neither Kakwenza nor his sureties were in court.
Arrest warrant against Kakwenza
However, Kawenza’s lawyer Samuel Wanda insists that his client is currently hospitalized at a private hospital receiving treatment.
He told journalists that the sureties were unable to show up because they had other important commitments.
“Our client failed to come to court because he is still taking treatment but the State insisted that he is served with an arrest warrant and that his sureties suffer a similar fate.The role of sureties is to ensure that the accused person comes to court,”he says
Wanda explained that one of the sureties, Galisonga has a case in the High Court while Rubongoya being the Secretary-General of National Unity Platform-NUP, was in a meeting to discuss the party’s participation in the Parliament Speakership race.
Rukirabashaija escaped from Uganda via the Rwanda Border to Germany shortly after he was granted bail. Arrest warrant against Kakwenza
Kakwenza reportedly boarded the Kigali International Airport to seek proper medical attention despite being denied his passport before the courts of law.
The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court denied Kakwenza’s request to have his passport returned to enable him to attend an event in Germany where he was to be recognized as an Honorary Member of Pen International.
Kakwenza had previously claimed torture by state operatives following his release from Kitalya Government Prison.He claimed they injected him with substances in his feet and hands six times every six hours, denied him sleep, and made to dance with a jerrycan full of water.
The accused has been seen active on his social media platforms , In his renewed social media battles on Facebook and twitter with his alleged tormentors, Kakwenza paraded a body marked with stripes from canes and alluded to the arrest of those involved directly and indirectly in his plight.
Kakwenza also attacked the presiding Magistrate Singiza claiming he acted unlawful by denying him his passport and access to treatment. Kakwenza was arrested on December 28th 2021 from his home in Kisaasi, Nakawa Division after plain clothed officers armed with guns, driving in UBE 894M and UBH 163U broke into his home.
According to the Prosecutors, Kakwenza used his Twitter handle @KakwenzaRukira to post a series of tweets about President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his son Lt General Muhoozi Kainerugaba with no purpose of legitimate communication.
In one of the tweets, Kakwenza refers to the President as an election thief and in another, he calls Muhoozi overweight and intellectually bankrupt.
