Ugandan MP Bobi Wine arrested and detained

FB photo

By

Gloria Nakiyimba

Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine has been remanded to Luzira prison on offenses relating to the disobedience of statutory duty.

The singer now turned politician was arraigned before Buganda Road court grade one magistrate Esther Nahilya who read him charges stemming from his protest against OTT social media tax introduced in June 2018. The legislator was against the tax saying it was unjust as taxes were already levied on airtime.

The prosecution alleges that MP Kyagulanyi committed the offenses on 11th July 2018 at City Square within the Ugandan capital Kampala, when he held a public meeting without giving notice to any authorized officer or police who would ensure that all participants in his meeting were unarmed and peaceful.

The prosecution further contends that the legislator’s actions were contrary to Sections 5 and 10 of the Public Order Management Act [POA] of 2013.

He has been remanded to Luzira prison until the 2nd May 2019 after his lawyer Asuman Basalirwa informed court that his client’s sureties had been barred from accessing court premises, while another surety Francis Zaake was in police custody.

He pleaded innocent to the charges read for him on Monday.

“Your honor, am confident, because indeed it’s not me on trial, it’s the court on trial. I have not committed any crime as my lawyer has explained. I am only here because I disagreed with the political leadership of this country and (in) particular president Museveni,’’ MP Kyagulanyi told the magistrate.

He was jointly charged with four others, namely David Lule, Julius Katongole, Edward Sebuufu, and Fred Nyanzi Sentamu.

“I am here not because I have stolen public funds or I have killed somebody. I’m glad that I am here because I’m fighting for them, for you your honor and for everybody in this country. I am here for protesting against unfair taxation and against injustice,” said Kyagulanyi.

The court was filled to capacity with his lawyers, family members, legislators, and supporter as the flamboyant legislator made his way inside the courtroom.

Police on Monday morning arrested the opposition politician spearheading the People Power Movement. Draped in a red shirt and red beret Bobi Wine was quickly removed from his personal car he was in and bundled into a waiting police car. He was on his way to record a statement at CIID headquarters in Kibuli when he was intercepted by police at Mulago in Kampala.

Gloria Nakiyimba

Gloria has experience spanning more than five years in Journalism, particularly in field reporting, editing, newscasting and management. She is currently working with Capital Radio Limited [91.3 Capital FM and 96.3 Beat FM] as Head of News, a position she has held since 2010.

Gloria previously worked as the Kampala Correspondent for Radio France International [RFI] generating local story leads with international inference for RFI’s global audience. She also served as Political Editor for The Weekly Mail Newspaper as well as Online Content Editor for the California based Ugandan broadcaster KubutakaRadio.com.