KAMPALA – Music promoters Abby Musinguzi aka Abtex and Andrew Mukasa alias Bajjo were on Thursday, May 7 arraigned before Buganda Road Court and charged with allegedly disobeying lawful orders set up by the president in a bid to contain the spread of Covid-19.
The duo was charged alongside Junior Matovu and Kikomeko Eyekolera by Grade One magistrate, Dorothy Bagyenyi.
She however granted them bail.
They were released on bail with each paying Shs200,000 cash and sureties bonded Shs500,000 not cash.
They were ordered to appear in court on May 18, 2020 for further mention of the case.
Bajjo was on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 arrested for protesting over what he called “sluggish” food distribution exercise in Kampala and Wakiso.
Mr Mukasa who recently donated two tonnes of maize flour to the National COVID-19 Response Fund said many Ugandans affected by the virus-induced lockdown are starving yet government has not done enough to help them.
He was arrested as he attempted to enter the Office of the Prime Minister with two others and taken to Central Police Station in Kampala.
Abitex was also later picked up from his home.
At the start of the lockdown over coronavirus in March, President Museveni announced that government would distribute food to 1.5 million Ugandans adversely affected by the closure of business.
However, to date many people are yet to receive the food.
On Tuesday, May 5, 2020, Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga directed government present to the House a status report on the ongoing distribution of food to the 1.5m people that were targeted in Kampala and Wakiso district in the wake of the lockdown imposed over covid-19 outbreak.
Parliament on April 8 passed a Shs284b Supplementary Budget to help the Ministry of Health and other Ministries in responding to covid-19. The package included Shs59b to the Office of the Prime Minister to procure food to supply to what government described as vulnerable poor whose daily income had been curtailed by the lockdown.
