Tumukunde Denied Bail Over Covid19 Lock down

Buganda Road Court has declined to release on bail former Security Minister Brig Gen Henry Tumukunde on bail, citing the prevailing national Covid19 lock down.

Gen Tumukunde has been on remand on charges of treason since March 18^th.

Late last month, Tumukunde through his lawyers applied for bail on grounds among others, that he is of advanced age and that he has a fixed place of abode at Kololo in Kampala.

The state however, protested this application citing a number of factors, including the fact that the General was likely to sabotage investigations once released on bail.

In the court’s ruling today, the magistrate denied the bail application on this very ground, and also the fact that investigations have been delayed by the ongoing Covid 19 nationwide shutdown.

The state had claimed that investigating officers were unable to access witnesses because of the transportation restrictions issued by the President to prevent the spread of Covid19

As such, the magistrate said he would postpone the bail consideration to at least one month until the shutdown has been lifted.

This he said, would “accommodation to both parties.”

“In view of the expeditious manner in which this case has been handled I am satisfied that this will not be delayed justice or discourage of justice,” he ruled.

The Magistrate was also desatisfied with the sureties presented by Gen Tumukunde, saying that these were unlikely to compel him to come court when required.

For a soldier of his rank, he ruled, it would take sureties that are serving members of the armed forces who are at his or a higher rank.