By UJA Team.
Journalist Richard Wanambwa can now have a temporally breathe following his release from the detention where he has been held for more than two months on among other charges; hate speech and demanding property by written threats against the businessman Abu Mukasa. Wanambwa walked out of Luzira Murchison Bay prison detention on Wednesday February 26,2025, when the Nakawa Court Chief Magistrate Christine Nantege considered his bail application through his lawyers.
The defense lawyers who included Evans Ochieng and Michael Akampulira had first put on a spirited fight against the said charges by the state attorney Richard Birivumbuka for the state and businessmen Abu Mukasa also known as Muyunga and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Juma Makhtoum as complainants.
Sheikh Makhtoum is an UAE investor to the Uganda’s oil sector. Counsel Evans Ochieng is one of the senior lawyers for the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA).
The said property was allegedly channeled through Alexander Kibandama and Fisher Kasule on behalf of Abu Mukasa according to the state. The accused person had pleaded not guilty to all the preferred charges. They are in reference to section 270 of the Penal code Act cap 128. The said allegations are in connection to the stories that had been published against Vitol Oil company.
However, the documentary evidence seen by the Uganda Journalists Association legal team exonerates the accused journalist from the claims of extortion. Documents had shown that the jailed journalist had instead been contracted by the said complainants to help them with Public Relations enhancement through his online media company (channel) known to them and other media channels for other players.
One of the grounds that were advanced by the defense lawyers in their application for his release is that, the slapped charges are bailable, thus asking Court to use its power to release him on bond in reference to section 75 of the Magistrate Court Act that allows Court to release any accused person on its bond and the constitution, considering that he had been held in detention for more than 2 months without trial.
The Chief Magistrate Nantege granted him a bail of 2 million shillings, hence leading to the journalist’s immediate walk out from jail. It was preceded by the magistrate Frank Namanya Court 3 million cash bail to the same accused person, while his sureties 20 million non-cash each. The magistrate Namanya’s Court bail grant followed the magistrate Andrew Katurubuki’s 3 million cash bail that was very first to grant him the bail.
The two magistrates fall under the Nakawa Chief Magistrate. Cases were extended to their Courts arising out of the multiple files that had been opened by the state against the journalist.
UJA Speak Out on the Journalist’s Release from Jail.
The Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) Secretary General Emmanuel Kirunda welcomed the release of journalist Wanambwa from jail, saying it was long overdue.
Kirunda expressed concern over the growing violation cases of press freedom in form of impunity on journalists by the actors with influence from the state power. He thanked the legal team for leading the fight that led to the journalists’ release.
