There has finally been light at the end of the tunnel after the High Court in Masaka granted bail to MPs Allan Ssewanyana of Makindye West and Kawempe North’s Muhammad Ssegirinya who is accused of masterminding Masaka murders.
Masaka High Court judge, Lawrence Tweyanze on Monday afternoon reasoned with the lawyers of the two legislators that it is their constitutional right for the two to be released on bail but also to enable them to get treatment outside the prison they have been in since September 2021.
The judge directed that each of the two legislators pays a cash bond of shs20 million as well as deposit their passports with the court. The sureties for the MPs have each been asked to pay a shs50 million non-cash bond.
The legislators have also been asked to report to the registrar of the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kampala once a month but also warned against interfering with investigations into their cases.
The bail
The release on bail came on the backdrop of an unprecedented move in which the state which had earlier opposed the application by the two legislators opted to reverse the same.
Chief state attorney, Richard Birivumbuka told the court on Monday morning that the DPP had issued a certificate of no objection to the bail application and subsequently asked that the three affidavits filed against the bail application be withdrawn.
The state attorney, however, asked the court for a “substantial amount of cash” to be imposed on the two legislators if the court is to release them on bail.
The case
Ssegirinya and Ssewanyana are accused alongside five others including Mike Sserwadda, Jude Muwonge, Bull Wamala, John Mugerwa, and Jackson Kanyike.
They are accused of murder, attempted murder, aiding, and abetting terrorism stemming from the 2021 spate of killings in Masaka and Lwengo districts of the Greater Masaka region. In the wave of murders, unknown assailants using machetes killed 20 people in the area.
