Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana was on Thursday rearrested after he was released from Kigo prison.
Joel Ssenyonyi, the NUP spokesperson says Ssewanyana was rearrested outside the prison at 7:30pm by unknown gunmen and driven to an unknown destination.
“The state has mastered the art of violating court orders. Remember the black mamba siege and several other incidents of rearresting people released by the court. So the state wants to continue holding the legislators,” he said.
“You cannot tell who arrested him because they were plain-clothed. But we are dealing with a lawless government. Anything can happen,” Ssenyonyi says.
Erias Lukwago, Ssewanyana’s lawyer said that Ssewanyana’s kidnap renders the court directive that he should be released on bail insignificant.
Ssegirinya was jointly arrested together with Makindye West MP Ssewanyana on September 7th 2021, and taken to Masaka Magistrates Court on charges of murder and terrorism arising from the recent killings of people using machetes in Masaka. They were remanded and sent to Kigo government prison.
But since the court lacked jurisdiction to try the offenses, they had to seek bail before the High Court which was granted by Lady Justice Victoria Nakintu Katamba, on September 20th 2021, on presumption that they are still innocent unless proven to be guilty.
As part of the conditions however, the Judge directed the legislators to pay a 20 million Shillings cash bail and ordered their sureties to execute a bond form of 100 million Shillings not cash.
They were also instructed to surrender their passports to the International Crimes Division of High Court where they should be reporting twice every month and barred from participating in any rhetoric that may cause public excitement.
After fulfilling the conditions of paying the cash to the bank and surrendering their passports, the parties on Thursday appeared before the High Court International Crimes Division Registrar Beatrice Atingu in Kampala to append signatures on the forms.
Subsequently, Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya appeared via a zoom link connecting from court to Kigo prison where they were directed to sign in the presence of the registrar before the sureties can also sign physically in court.
However, Ssegirinya’s surety, the Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake did not appear in court.
When contacted, Frank Baine, the Uganda Prisons spokesperson says Ssewanyana was released and therefore he doesn’t know his whereabouts.
“So you ask me about Ssegirinya because he is still in prison. But Ssewanyana, we released him on Thursday. If anything happened to him after his release from prison, I am not responsible,” Baine said.
Fred Enanga, the Uganda Police Force spokesperson says his team is still verifying the information about Ssewanyana’s kidnap.
