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Mityana, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Francis Zaake, the Mityana Municipality MP finally appeared in court on charges of engaging in act that is likely to spread coronavirus. He appeared before the Mityana Chief Magistrate, Elias Kakooza where he arrived around 1 pm in an ambulance.
The legislator was brought to the court room on a stretcher and was visibly ill according to the Judiciary spokesperson Solomon Muyita. Kakooza ruled that the legislator was unfit to plead to the charges because of his ill health. According to Muyita, court also declined to grant the legislator bail following an application by his lawyer saying that will be handled after taking his plea.
Court reportedly ordered for the immediate transfer of the MP to a medical facility where he can be attended to until such a time when he will be fit to appear for plea taking. Prosecution alleges that on April 19th 2020 while at Buswabulongo village in Mityana district, Zaake distributed food to the community without taking necessary precautions to stop spread the coronavirus.
Court also heard that Zaake disobeyed lawful orders when he contravened presidential directives not to distribute food for fear of spreading Covid-19. As part of the Covid-19 preventive measures, President Yoweri Museveni directed that all relief support be handed over to the National Covid19 Taskforce for distribution and anybody found distributing food themselves shall be charged with Attempted murder.
