Prisons authorities fail to produce Ssegirinya in court, claim bus had mechanical breakdown

Ssegirinya was expected before Grade One Magistrate Siena Owomugisha at Buganda Road Court, along with witnesses in the case against him.

His charges arise from what Ssegirinya allegedly posted on his Facebook page, where he supposedly cautioned security forces against trying to murder leader of the National Unity Platform Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine.

Ssegirinya, according to what was allegedly posted, warned security forces that if they carried out their alleged plan to assassinate Bobi Wine the revenge killings would be 40 times worse than the 1994 Rwandan Genocide where an estimated one million people, Tutsi and moderate Hutus, were killed in a space of 100 days.

On February 23 this year, Juliet Naiga, a news editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, testified in court against the accused.

Naiga had transcribed a video containing the incriminating evidence which, according to the prosecution, was hinged upon the incitement of violence by Ssegirinya.

Although he had been granted bail for this case, Ssegirinya has remained in detention on murder and terrorism charges in another case where he is jointly accused with Makindye West Member of Parliament Allan Ssewanyana.

He was expected to return to court yesterday. However, the prosecution’s lead counsel Ivan Kyazze said the prisons bus was grounded by mechanical issues and asked the court for another hearing date.

The prosecution is set to present a second witness, a cybercrimes expert who will testify when Ssegirinya was present in court.

Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Frank Baine said he was away in Kigali and could not give details regarding the accused’s failure to appear in court.