The trial of Makindye West Member of Parliament, Allan Ssewanyana, and his Kawempe North counterpart, Muhammad Ssegirinya has been deferred to January 05th, 2022 after the lead prosecutor also Masaka Chief Resident State Attorney, Richard Birivumbuka failed to show in court today Thursday.
The legislators are facing murder charges stemming from the infamous Masaka murders.
Before announcing the adjournment, Masaka Grade One Magistrate, Christine Nantege issued express orders to prison authorities to allow the accused persons to access specialized medical services in facilities of their choice.
The State Attorney who never showed up also did not communicate to Court about his absence.
Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya remain on remand in Kigo Prisons for the murder of Joseph Bwanika, a former resident of Kisekka Sub County in Lwengo district in August this year.
They appeared before Nantege this morning for further mention of their case and to receive an update on the investigations.
The magistrate was prompted to adjourn court for 20 minutes to allow the prosecutor more time to show up or send a representative in vain.
Nantege noted that besides reading out the charges to the accused persons, the court could not give the status of the investigations without the lead prosecutor.
The MPs complained that prison authorities are reluctant to provide them with the required healthcare as earlier directed by the court.
Ssewanyana complained that besides denying them specialized medical care, there were also attempts by the prisons warders to block them from freely addressing the court about their plight by interfering with the internet connectivity and equipment.
The magistrate cautioned the prisons authorities to desist from violating the suspects’ rights and accordingly directed that the prisons be served with fresh orders.
Shamim Malende the accused’s lawyer prayed to the court to further restrain prison authorities from blocking her from accessing her clients, which she said is slowing down the gathering of evidence for their defense.
