Last week, the Masaka Chief Magistrate Charles Yeteise convicted Simeo Ssenkyama, the Malongo Sub County Chairperson in Lwengo district, to one-year imprisonment or a fine of two million Shillings after he was found guilty of misusing his office to initiate negotiations aimed at concealing a defilement and sanctioning the marriage of a 12-year-old girl.
Ssenkyama’s troubles stem from a judgment by Masaka Chief Magistrate’s Court which convicted him for conspiring with offenders to marry off an underage age girl of 12 years, who had also been defiled.
During the hearing, the prosecution told the court that in December 2017, Ssenkyama in his capacity as Malongo LC III chairperson unlawfully arbitrated in the matter of aggravated defilement against a twelve-year-old girl who was in primary five at Lwemiyaga primary school in Lwengo.
The MP were separately presented before the Masaka Grade One Magistrate Grace Wakooli and Chief Magistrate Charles Yeitese, for further mention of murder and terrorism charges, and the amendments in their earlier charge sheet respectively.
The two groups of suspects who were on Wednesday afternoon aligned before the Masaka Grade One and Chief Magistrate courts accused security operatives of torturing them to accept the offences preferred against them.
The Chief Magistrate, Charles Yeitesi, who had issued a vote recount order on Monday declined to continue with the exercise after it emerged that the seal on one of the ballot boxes delivered in court was broken.
Magellan Kazibwe, the lead lawyer who represented the accused persons says, they failed to complete the process of securing the court production warrants, required to order prison authorities to produce the suspect for their eventual release.
Paul Kangave, the Greater Masaka Regional Police Spokesperson confirmed the MPs arrest but for allegedly inciting violence. He however, declined to divulge specifics of the charges against Ssekikubo but said his file has been sanctioned, adding that the MP will appear in court.
Masaka Chief Magistrate Deogratius Ssejjemba released Ssekikubo on a noncash bail of 10 million Shillings. His five sureties were also executed on a non-cash bond of 25 million each Shillings. The sureties included MPs Barnabas Tinkansimire, Anifa Kawooya, Mary Kabanda, Florence Namayanja and Lwemiyaga sub-county councillor Johnstone Kamugisha.
Ssekikubo was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and inciting violence; cases which stem from spates of violence witnessed during the National Resistance Movement, NRM party primaries in Sembabule District, in August 2010.
