KAMPALA – A group of seven activists appeared before the Chief Magistrate at Buganda Road Court, charged with nuisance on roads. The activists, including human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and students, denied the charge.
The prosecution, led by Ivan Kyazze, alleges that the activists, on January 9, 2025, placed themselves on Square Road, opposite the High Court of Uganda, in a manner that caused danger or inconvenience to traffic.
The activists, who were arrested while attempting to march in Kampala, were wearing t-shirts with slogans such as “stop abuse of power,” “stop military rule,” and “stop trial of civilians in military courts.”
The group includes Agatha Atuhaire, 36, a human rights defender and journalist; Godwin Toko, 31, a lawyer; George Victor Otheino, 24, a student; Akram Obed Mubala, 35; Soita Khatondi Wepukulu, 29; Raise Aloikin Opoloje, 24, a student; and Norah Kobusinge, 25, a journalist.
Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi granted the activists a non-cash bond of Shs 1 million each, along with their sureties. The magistrate ordered them to present a copy of their LC letter introducing them and their national identity cards at their next court hearing on January 29.
The activists’ protest was sparked by the delayed Supreme Court judgment on the jurisdiction of military courts over civilians. The case has been ongoing since May 2024, when a panel of seven judges announced that the fate of the Military Court’s jurisdiction in trying civilians would be delivered on notice.
The Supreme Court’s decision has been delayed due to the loss of four judges from the original panel. Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo has promised to deliver the judgment “sooner than later.”
