President Museveni’s private secretary granted bail

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Buganda Road Magistrates Court has granted bail to Caroline Kembabazi an assistant private secretary to President Yoweri Museveni who is facing charges of giving false information to the Electoral Commission.

Kembabazi was on Friday granted a cash bail of one million shillings by the court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu after she had presented two sureties who were her brothers. They are; Julius Tugume Rutatina and Godfrey Guma Nabireeba who have been asked to execute a non-cash bail fee of 10 million shillings.

The release on bail followed a successful application by Kembabazi’s lawyers led by Humphrey Tumwesigye and James Muhumuza who argued that she has a constitutional right for bail and that the offences against her are bailable.

Before the application for ruling on bail, the head of human resource at the Electoral Commission, James Niwamanya finished his testimony which he had failed to conclude two days ago due to technical issues.

He explained how Kembabazi had used her position to intimidate and harass him to give jobs to three of her relatives to work as assistant district registrars alleging that it was a presidential directive whereas not. The three are Kenneth Magezi, Duncan Muramuzi and Elia Abomeire.

Court heard that the three were part of the 7,111 people that applied for 96 vacancies of assistant district registrars.

Court heard that Magezi passed the aptitude test but got 46 percent in oral interviews, Muramuzi passed aptitude test but got 28 percent in oral interviews whereas Abomeire passed aptitude test too, but his results for oral interviews couldn’t be traced.

During the cross-examination however, the lawyers for Kembabazi asked Niwamanya if he had asked Museveni to verify whether he had not sent the accused to follow up the jobs, but he answered in the negative.

They also asked him if he knew that the proper job title for Kembabazi of being assistant secretary poverty alleviation and what it entails.

According to the lawyers, looking for jobs for people is also part of Kembabazi’s specifics under the poverty alleviation program in State House.

The case will now return to court on January 27, 2021, for further hearing.

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