Uganda’s Tumukunde charged with treason

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 02:59 pm

A Kampala court on Wednesday remanded Ugandan presidential aspirant Lt-Gen Henry Tumukunde in Luzira prison until March 30 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and treason.

City Hall Court Grade One Magistrate Valerian Tuhimbise advised Tumukunde not to take plea as the court had no jurisdiction to hear the capital case.

The retired general faces charges on treason and illegal possession of firearms.

According to the charge sheet, retired Lt-Gen Tumukunde on March 13, 2020 at Impala Avenue Kololo in Kampala had a modified AK-47 rifle but he did not have a valid firearm certificate.

A frail-looking Tumukunde was wheeled into the court by security officers as he could not support himself.

A close relative of the retired army chief said he was picked up from Kololo Hospital following his collapse in police custody on Monday.

Tumukunde, also a former security minister, was arrested last week after he allegedly made treasonable remarks.

“The arrest follows his utterances in a series of radio and television interviews, which seek to foster hatred that might lead to intercommunity violence, fomenting and glorifying violence in general. He, in addition, calls on the support of a neighbouring country to support him in removing the current leadership with or without the ballot,” police spokesman Fred Enanga said at the time.

Meanwhile, 11 other people arrested with Tumukunde have been charged with obstruction of justice for preventing Sgt Michael Akello and D/ASP Richard Mwesigwa on March 12 and 13, 2020 who were reportedly conducting a lawful search of material exhibits in Gen Tumukunde’s private office in Kololo.

Tororo Woman MP Annet Nyakecho and Tumukunde’s brother Arthur Kiiza are among the 11.

(TheEastAfrican)