Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Douglas Singiza has Tuesday released novelist Novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija on a cash bail of 500,000 Shillings and ordered the office of the DPP to make sure that inquiries are complete by the closure of this week.
On December 28, 2021, soldiers broke into the residence of Kakwenza in Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb and arrested.
He was held incommunicado until January 11, 2022, when he was produced in court and charged with two cases of offensive communication, in the absence of his lawyers.
Prosecution told Court that Kakwenza used his Twitter handle @KakwenzaRukira to abuse President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on 24th December 2021. Court also heard that on 26th December 2021, while using the same twitter handle, Kakwenza abused the first 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.
According to prosecutors, the communication was willfully and repeatedly used to disturb the peace of the president. However, the novelist denied the charges.
His lawyers led by Eron Kiiza asked the court to release him on grounds that he was sick having been tortured while in State custody and wants to get a medical facility of his choice because he suffered injuries on all the parts of his body except his head.
Kakwenza presented four sureties Lawyer Julius Galisonga, National Unity Platform Secretary-General David Lewis Rubongoya, Kololo Secondary School Teacher Annah Ashaba and Activist Job Kiija.
Magistrate Singiza directed him to deposit his original passport with the Court for six months saying however that this order is most likely to be reviewed from time to time. He also directed the parties in the case not to discuss any information with the media; reminding them that a breach of this order will lead to automatic cancellation of the bail.
Chief prosecutors Patricia Cingtho and Joan Keko had earlier informed the court that investigations were still ongoing and prayed for a shorter adjournment to complete and share the evidence they intend to use against Kakwenza with his lawyers in preparation for the trial.
The matter will return to the Court on February 1, 2022. Lawyers Eron Kiiza and Samuel Wanda said that they are ready for the trial.
