The Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo reveals that mediation remains a crucial aspect for the judicial work and promoting it will help tackle the slow administration of justice in courts.
Justice Dollo says that there is nothing wrong with Museveni expressing his views as a citizen and an elected leader, contrary to the debate it has garnered among Ugandans.
Senior Resident State Attorney Hamza Muzime told the court that the sureties presented by the suspects in court were not substantive given the magnitude of the case.
The suspects who appeared before Kitgum Chief Magistrates Elizabeth Akullo on Monday were identified as Ronald Rubangakene aka the big, Richard Opala, Richard Okello, Sam Acire, and Robert Olony. They were charged with two counts of theft and shop breaking.
Ongwen 45, was found guilty of 61 crimes comprising crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Northern Uganda between 1 July 2002 and 31 December 2005 while serving as a brigade commander of the LRA’s Sinia Brigade.
Brig William Bainomugisha, the Fifth Infantry Division Commander confirmed to Uganda Radio Network on Tuesday that the suspects are in their custody and won’t be handed over to South Sudan authorities.
Ongwen who made submissions at The Hague based court on Thursday during a mitigation session of his case noted that for 27 years since his abduction as a child by the LRA rebels, he lived in prison in captivity.
The Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations Directorate, Francis Olugu told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that the claims that Gen Lokech was behind Otto’s arrest are false. Olugu notes that the cases against Otto occurred between 2018 and 2019 before Gen Lokech joined the Uganda Police Force.
Richard Rubankane, a resident of Obokolot West village in Palabek Gem Sub-county in Lamwo District had appeared before the Kitgum Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Akullo for sentencing hearing over arson.
Mpande and Mwanje were arrested on Thursday last week after they were found in possession of 226 pieces of timbers they allegedly harvested from indigenous trees in Paladiya community forest in Omuwa village in Lokung East Sub-county.
The case stems from a suit filed last year by Louis Odongo and Company Advocates on behalf of 135 clan members of Panyigi-ceng over a contested land in Tim dwar Palukok.
State Prosecutor Gertrude Nyipir told the court that on 6 February 2021, Ouma and others still at large broke into a house in Apollo grounds in Kitgum Municipality belonging to Stephen Patrick Lokoya at about 8 pm.
Ongwen who commanded the LRA’s Sinia Brigade was found guilty of 61 out of the 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for which he faced a trial before the International Criminal Court.
His 69-year-old paternal uncle Johnson Odonga says that since then they never set eyes on Ongwen who was a humble child before being turned into a brutal killing “machine”. Odonga is bothered by the conviction and says that Ongwen deserves a pardon because he grew up in captivity where his abductors taught him only how to fight and kill.
“He gave instructions to loot food, abduct people, burn down the camp and the barracks,” the Presiding Judge Schmitt said. “An old woman who could not carry her load was strangled and had her throat cut,” he added. “His men shot, beat and abducted civilians in the head and the face to make sure they were dead.”
Janet Akonyo 48, one of the survivors of the attack told Uganda Radio Network that she has been closely following the trial and she is happy to know a verdict will be made on Thursday after a long wait. Akonyo says she lost a seven-year-old son and her grandfather during the evening raid orchestrated by the LRA.
Kamure alleges that during Akena’s illegal tenure in office, the party was driven on non UPC ideologies since the later sought for an alliance with President Museveni’s National Resistance Movement Party-NRM.
Ocaya is now praying to the high court to nullify the nomination and stop Bosmic Otim from further competing in the Chua West Parliamentary race. He also wants to be declared as the NRM flag bearer in Chua West county.
Security personnel say the suspects were arrested on separate days shortly after courts were suspended and have since remained in detention at Kitgum central police station.
Maj. Caesar Olweny, the fourth Division Infantry Spokesperson told Uganda Radio Network that the suspects will undergo interrogation to ascertain the motive behind the attack.
He says the suspects were arrested from the sub counties of Jangokoro, Nyapeya, Atyak, and Paidha were the army mounted heated operations.
