25th September 2023.
KAMPALA, Uganda – The International Crimes Division of the High Court, presided over by Justice Alice Komuhangi, has declined to stop the trial of Members of Parliament Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana. The two embattled MPs are facing charges related to the 2021 Greater Masaka murders, which left the region in shock and mourning.
Ssegirinya, representing Kawempe North, and Ssewanyana, representing Makindye West, are among seven individuals facing several counts of murder, terrorism, and attempted murder in connection with the spate of killings that plagued the Masaka region last year. The other accused persons include Bulo Wamala, John Mugerwa, Jackson Kanyike, Mike Sserwadda, and Jude Muwonge.
On Monday, Justice Komuhangi dismissed the application submitted by the two MPs, stating that it lacked merit. She emphasized that since their earlier application for Constitutional Reference had been disallowed due to its lack of merit, the court could not stay its own proceedings based on the same grounds. The judge also noted that halting the proceedings would cause significant inconvenience to the other accused individuals. She advised the legislators to seek an order for staying the proceedings from the Constitutional Court if they wished to do so.
The judge further directed that the pretrial of the accused persons would proceed on October 24, 2024. A pretrial hearing involves a prosecutor presenting sufficient evidence to establish probable cause that the alleged crimes were committed.
The charges against the accused individuals stem from a series of murders and attempted murders that occurred in the Masaka region between January and August of 2021. The indictment alleges that the accused, along with others who are still at large, engaged in these acts with the intent to intimidate the public for political, religious, or economic purposes.
The indictment also reveals that one of the accused, Mike Sserwadda, allegedly confessed to participating in the murders and implicated Wamala, Kanyike, Mugerwa, and the two MPs in their efforts to “reclaim their presidential ‘victory'”. Meetings to coordinate these actions, allegedly attended by Ssegirinya and Ssewanyana, were said to be orchestrated by Bulo Wamala and Diego Bukenya, who remains at large. The indictment further states that the accused individuals specifically targeted the Masaka region due to its high media attention. It is alleged that the two MPs provided cash ranging from sh50,000 to sh100,000 to their co-accused to execute their alleged mission.
The ruling was delivered in the presence of lawyers representing the accused, including Samuel Muyizzi, Geoffrey Turyamusiima, and Chief State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
