Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere, his Prime Minister Thembo Kitsumbire and 170 royal guards have been committed to the High Court to start trial over the March and November 2016 incidents in Kasese where over 100 lives were lost.
Jinja Court Chief Magistrate Francis Kaggwa committed them on the instructions of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Mumbere, Kitsumbire and the 5 juveniles who are all on bail had reported back to court Monday to know how far investigations into their case of murder, terrorism and treason had reached, only to be informed by Prosecution’s Racheal Bikhole that inquiries where complete and she then presented to court committal papers sending them to the trial court.
However the Defense lawyers led by Samuel Muyizzi and Eron Kiiza said they were amazed by the fact that they had turned up in court to receive a ruling on mandatory bail of 38 other suspects, who were actually not brought to court as ordered but had been among the 165 royal guards committed last Friday 23rd by prosecution’s Lino Anguzu in the absence of their lawyers.
Muyizzi and Kiiza also wondered how Chief Magistrate Francis Kaggwa reviewed his order to adjourn the matter to today and then changed it to last friday23rd without their participation as Defence Counsel, which action they say was not only irregular but also an abuse of court process.
Now Mumbere, his Prime Minister Thembo Kitsumbire and the 170 royal guards will have to wait for the next convenient criminal session of the High Court, to stand trial.
But before doing so they will have to first tell court whether they committed the crime or not by formally pleading to the allegations over the Kasese violence.
