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For close to a month now, president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been routing for the removal of bail for murder suspects. He has always said clearly that for murder suspects it should be an eye for eye and no chance for whatsoever should be given to them.
According to the bible, the passage in the book of Leviticus clearly states that “And a man who injures his countryman – as he has done, so it shall be done to him [namely,] fracture under/for fracture, eye under/for eye, tooth under/for tooth. Just as another person has received injury from him, so it will be given to him.” (Lev. 24:19–21).
But the right to bail is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 23 (6) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda. Its basis is found in Article 28 of the same Constitution which states that an accused person is to be presumed innocent until he/she is proved or he/she pleads guilty.
President Museveni has already summoned his NRM legislators to back his bail though it received resistance during the previous party caucus and he sent them to consult their voters, but before they report back it’s reported from sources that cabinet has already given removal of bail green light and it will soon be tabled in parliament.
However, while appearing on TV this morning, NUP principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine has sent a stun warning to President Museveni to desist from tampering with this only remaining tool in the constitution that shields human rights.
His comments, come at the backdrop of the re-arrest of his party members of parliament Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya popularly known as Mr. Updates and Makindye East legislator Allan Ssewanyana who are in Kigo prison for allegedly killing people in Masaka using the famous Bijambiya for now close to two months.
Bobi says many of his colleagues are still behind bars and haven’t been given bail even when it’s their constitutional right. Bobi Wine referenced his argument on how Dr Besigye was arrested in 2016 over treason charges but only for the charges to be dropped few weeks ago and if he hadn’t been given bail, he would have been in prison for all these years.
Bobi wine is also very sure that the treason charges he faces emanating from the August 2018 fracas that costed the life of his driver Yasin Kawuma leading to his arrest that sparked protests across the country will also be dropped because government has no ground to implicate him and his other colleagues being tried in the Gulu court.
He however sent a stunning warning to Museveni’s Ministers after it was reported two days ago that cabinet okayed the removal of bail from the constitution. He says Ministers should not accept to be used by Museveni because what they’re passing today will be used against them some day.
“These politicians who are used to pass unjust laws are usually first to be victims. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. You are not safe simply because you are eating near Museveni”- Says Bobi wine
These politicians who are used to pass unjust laws are usually first to be victims. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. You are not safe simply because you are eating near Museveni – @HEBobiwine
#MorningAtNTV pic.twitter.com/kcZG518QT2— NTV UGANDA (@ntvuganda) October 19, 2021
