Kakwenza fundraising 40m for four sureties
Four sureties who stood in for embattled book author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija in a case of offensive communication face arrest following his disappearance have been issued with arrest warrants.
Kakwenza is facing trial at the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court for according to the Prosecutors, using 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.
Neither Kakwenza nor his sureties have turned up for hearing of his case despite notices requiring them to appear before the Court being duly served. On March 23, Court in Kampala issued an arrest for the embattled Novelist who is recently fled into exile abroad.
Court also issued criminal summons to the sureties to explain the whereabouts of Kakwenza.
Today, Aprill 11, the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Dr Douglas Singiza has issued a warrant of arrest against the sureties on grounds that they declined to heed to court notices twice, asking them to appear before the Court. This followed a plea by the State Attorney Joan Keko.
Dr Singiza has ordered that, the four sureties should be arrested and forced to pay the 10 million Shillings that each of them committed in the event that Kakwenza skips bail.
Kakwenza fundraising 40m for four sureties
The sureties include Lawyer Julius Galisonga, The Secretary-General of the National Unity Platform Party David Lewis Rubongoya, Annah Ashaba, a teacher at Kololo Secondary School and an Activist Job Kiija.
Rubongoya’s lawyer said his client was not served, Ashaba and Kiija’s lawyers said they were served late, over the weekend, yet they were upcountry.
Kakwenza fundraising support
Kakwenza has now launched a fundraising drive to collect the money on behalf of the sureties. He is looking for 5,000 people to each contribute 8,000 Shillings, to enable him to raise 40 million Shillings for the four sureties.
“My friends who stood surety for me owe court 40m because I fled the country for my life. It’s now incumbent on me now to raise the money and pay court–in respect of summons–but I’m broke as a mouse. I’m looking for 5,000 people who can manage to send UGX8,000 to MTN +256785367367 registered as Kakwenza Rukirabashaija,” Kakwenza posted on social media.
Kakwenza was, on January 25, granted a cash bail of 500,000 Shillings by the Buganda Road Court, after nearly a month under detention.
He escaped from Uganda via the Rwanda Border to Germany shortly after he was granted bail. 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.
