President Yoweri Museveni shocked the nation with the announcement to ban police bonds for suspects he termed “village thieves.”
In his new year’s address, Museveni condemned the practice of granting police bonds and court bail of allowing offenders to evade justice.
“I have asked the Chief Judge to stop court bail for such people. But for police, I have banned bond, because I have authority over them as the Commander in Chief,” he said.
He further hinted at deploying the UPDF and LDU to protect coffee farmers from criminals if local authorities do not play their part.
But Ugandan Law Society (ULS) President Isaac Ssemakadde won’t take it lying down!
In a press statement issued on New Year’s Day, Ssemakadde declared that the move violates constitutional rights and exacerbates injustices within the judicial system.
But the controversial Ugandan Law Society (ULS) President Isaac Ssemakadde won’t take it lying down.
Ssemakadde has dismissed that by attacking that directive as “an open assault on human rights,”
The ULS said that Uganda’s prisons are already overwhelmed, and banning bail would only worsen the situation.
“This directive contravenes Articles 23, 28(3)(a), and 99 of the Constitution and serves as a stark reminder of the colonial legacy of repression and mass incarceration that continues to plague our nation,” said Ssemakadde.
He added “Police jail stints and prison congestion are colonial relics we must let go. The Radical New Bar will not look elsewhere. We shall deal firmly with errant police officers and malicious prosecutors through Sections 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15 of the Human Rights (Enforcement) Act.” exclaimed Ssemakadde.”
Ssemakadde further added that the Director of Public Prosecutions should ensure that they conduct thorough investigations and proceed fairly with prosecutions.
“No one should be deprived of their freedom because of bureaucratic overreach” He added
The outspoken lawyer clamored for dismantling the police-to-prison pipeline that target the impoverished and the political opposition.
“No one should be deprived of their freedom because of bureaucratic overreach. It is time to break the police-to-prison pipeline that targets the poor, civil society activists, and the political opposition. We must forge a path that prioritizes justice, equality, and human rights,” the ULS Presidents said
This is not the first time that President Museveni has fought against bail. Over the years, he has made an appeal for there to be no bail to any suspect charged with murder, rape, and now, even Parish Development Model default.
The Constitution gives bail powers to courts. The Chief Justice of Uganda issued strict rules on the subject-matter, against which some complaints were made in court.
