The High Court in Mbarara has rejected the bail
application by the Kiziiba
LCII Chairperson Nyakyera sub-county in Ntungamo, Ben Tarimwima Kyamugara, who is facing murder charges.
According to the prosecution, Tarimwima on 8th May 2020, together with others still at
large, while at Igorora Primary School allegedly killed Peter Byamugisha after
finding him eating a sugar cane inside the school store.
Byamugisha
was a resident of Kishojwa village Kiziiba parish Nyakyera sub-county Ruhama
County in Ntungamo district.
It is alleged that Tarimwima
led the mob that tied Byamugisha’s
arms to the back and beat him severely on the stomach using
sticks and stones to force him to confess where he had
gotten the sugar cane until he died after over 5 hours.
On Thursday, Tarimwima
appeared before Lady
Justice Joyce Kavuma.
Tarimwima had applied for bail on grounds that
he had overstayed on remand without trial since his arrest in 2020. He also argued that it is his right to apply for bail because he is innocent until the court proves him
guilty.
Justice Kavuma denied Tarimwima bail on the grounds that the evidence he presented didn’t satisfy the court to accept his application for bail.
//Cue in: “On the basis…
Cue out: …application
is dismissed.”//
Justice Kavuma also said that she agreed with the argument from an affidavit sworn by the investigative officer Constable
Charles Bwengye, who was presented by the State Attorney that the case was a high-profile
case that attracted public interest.
According to Bwengye, the suspect has on several occasions used his
position as LC II Chairperson to influence the progress and
prosecution of the case by frustrating the arrests of the other suspects when he wasn't committed to the High Court and was on bail.
Bwengye also indicated that during the
time the suspect was on bail, he threatened eyewitnesses, their relatives, and contacts with framed-up
charges of robbery and kidnapped one of the witnesses John Ndebesa.
Justice
Kavuma further remanded the suspect to Mbarara Government prison until the case is fixed for hearing.
