Prosecution has been directed to summon the witnesses to appear before court on September 17th, 2019 in the trial of the Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine and four others for disobedience of statutory duty.
On Monday morning, State Prosecutor, Barbra Kyomugisha requested that Court gives her more time, when the suspects appeared before the Buganda Road Grade One Magistrate, Joan Ketty Acaa. Bobi Wine is charged alongside David Lule, Julius Katongole, Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu and Edward Sebufu.
Kyomuhangi told the fully parked court, that they hadn’t been able to summon the witnesses since some of the suspects didn’t show up in the previous court session held in July. At the last sitting, court to issued criminal summons against Kyagulanyi when he didn't show up in court as he was away on official duties.
Prosecution was given the second last time to summon the witnesses to appear before court on September, 17th, 2019. However, this did not go down well with the suspect’s lawyers including Benjamin Katana , Shamim Malende and Luyimbazi Nalukola who prayed that prosecution makes sure that the trial begins next time.
The case stems from July, 2018 when the accused, while at City Square in Kampala, staged a protest against the introduction of the Shillings 200 daily levy for social media users. Prosecution alleges that the group and others at still at large contravened sections five and ten of the Public Order Management Act, which regulates public meetings.
While speaking to journalists after the court session this morning, Kyagulanyi said the charges brought against them are trumped up so as to divert them from their political agenda of challenging President, Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 elections.
