Four city council speakers have been charged with unlawful assembly and remanded to Luzira Prison by City Hall Magistrate’s Court.
The four council speakers from the Wakiso District and the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) were charged yesterday with participating in an unlawful assembly in violation of sections 65(1) and 66 of the Criminal Code Act when brought before Grade One Magistrate Edgar Karakire.
The four suspects are Mr. Justus Akampurira, 30, Mr. Charles Lwanga Luba, 36, of Makindye, Mr. Hamza Kasozi, 30, of Nansana Municipal Council, and Mr. Nasif Najja, 33, a software engineer.
According to the prosecution, which is being led by Mr. Timothy Aduti, on February 27, the suspects gathered at parliament and behaved in a manner that gave neighbors a good reason to worry that they would disturb the peace, hinder traffic, or maliciously destroy property .
The trial magistrate delayed making a decision until March 3 in response to the accused’ application for bail.
Before remanding the suspects, Mr. Karakire remarked that he wanted to first confirm the documentation that the sureties had submitted.
Police barred the four speakers at Parliament’s main entrance and then took them into custody because they seemed to be wearing chains.
Although the speakers claimed they were delivering a petition to the Speaker of Parliament, Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire stated they felt it was not the proper method.
The speakers accused the government of detaining the National Unity Platform (NUP)supporters, whom they described as political prisoners.
They claimed that the NUP supporters were being held against their will because some of them had not been charged within the legally required 48-hour period or freed after six months.