Buganda Road Magistrates Court has ordered police to immediately arrest former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused Lubega Mukaaku for failing to appear in court.
This follows their failure to appear in court on Thursday for further hearing of their case in which they are accused of inciting violence.
Their lawyer, Mr Matovu Musa told court on Thursday that his clients are out of the country but senior state prosecutor Ivan Kyazze objected to his plea, saying there is no proof to that effect which prompted the trial Magistrate Asuman Muhumuza to issue an arrest warrant against the duo.
According to court documents, Besigye and Mukaaku are to be produced in court on August 27, 2023.
The duo was arrested demonstrating against the sky-rocking commodity prices in Kampala and later granted bail. They pleaded not guilty to one count of incitement to violence which prosecution contended was committed on June 14, 2022, at Kikuubo Shawurayako in Kampala City.
“Today we received a ruling whereby the trial Magistrate said that the two accused persons [Besigye and Mukaaku] should be arrested. A warrant of arrest was issued against them and criminal summons were issued against all their sureties. To me, I’m seeing it as an irregular ruling because I intimated to the trial Magistrate that the matter had lost track on the 27th day of February 2023,” their lawyer Matovu Musa said on Thursday.
It is alleged that the accused without any unlawful excuse at an assembly addressed members of the public implying that it would be desirable for them to demonstrate, yet it could result in violence and destruction of property.
