Lukwago said that the bail amount is outrageous since his client has been under preventive arrest at his home for almost two weeks and he has not been working.
According to Lukwago, Besigye has instructed them to appeal against the decision and has chosen to be remanded.
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Dr Kizza Besigye Appearing Before Court
The Buganda
Road Magistrates Court has charged Dr. Kizza Besigye with inciting violence.
Besigye was
produced at Buganda Road Court by Police on Wednesday amidst tight
security and charged before Grade One Magistrate Siena Owomugisha.
Court heard that on May 24th, 2022 at Arua Park Muno Village Shauriyako Parish
in Central Division in Kampala District, without lawful excuse at an assembly
made statements to the members of the public indicating or implying that it
would be desirable to demonstrate, an act which was reportedly calculated to
lead to destruction or damage to property.
Besigye was arrested from Arua Park where he was addressing crowds and taken
to the Central Police Station in Kampala. He was later transferred to
Nagalama Police Station where he spent a night.
On Wednesday,
Besigye denied the charges and asked to be released on bail. His lawyers
Chrysostom Katumba and Erias Lukwago argued that he is still innocent
until proven to be guilty and that it's his constitutional right to apply for
bail.
They also noted that Besigye has a permanent place of aboard and that he is a
national leader whose record is well captured in some of the records before
the court. Court has also heard that Besigye has been a Presidential
Candidate four times with a performance that is well on record and not
disputed and he formerly headed Forum for Democratic Change Political
Party.
Besigye’s sureties were Wafula Ogutu and the Deputy Secretary-General Harlod
Kaija.
However, prosecution led by Joan Keko objected to bail saying that if Besigye's
records are known in court, it implies that he should desist from committing
crimes that bring him to Court.
She added
that since he is a leader he has the capacity to interfere with investigations.
Keko asked Court to put stringent terms on him.
Owomugisha granted Besigye cash bail of 30 Million Shillings saying that there
was no evidence to prove that Besigye was going to interfere with the ongoing
investigations. Each of the sureties was bonded at 70 million shillings,
not cash. The case adjourned to June 16.
However, Lukwago
said that the bail amount is outrageous since his client has been under
preventive arrest at his home for almost two weeks and he has not been working.
According to Lukwago, Besigye has instructed them to appeal against the
decision and has chosen to be remanded.
Meanwhile,
three people who were jointly arrested with Besigye on Tuesday have also been
arraigned before Buganda Rado Court and charged separately.
The former
Lubaga South Parliamentary Candidate Samuel Lubega Mukaku a resident of Mengo
Hill in Kampala Central Division and Yoweri Kintu a Loader at Arua Park a
resident of Kanyanya Quarter Zone in Kawempe Division in Kampala appeared before the Buganda Road Grade One Magistrate Asuman Muhumuza and charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of duty.
They were granted
a non-cash bail of 5 million shillings and each of their sureties bonded at 7 Million
shillings also not cash. These have been directed to return to Court on June
27th as investigations continue.
Besigye’s
driver Fred Kato was also charged with an offense related to traffic according
to Lukwago and granted a cash bail of 1 million shillings before Buganda Road Grade
One Magistrate Fidelis Otwao.
