Former Security minister Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde has been sent back to prison after the High court said it could not hear his bail application due to the existing coronavirus lockdown.
President Museveni on Tuesday extended the lockdown by a further 21 days until May 5, 2020, as the government monitors the situation of the spread of the coronavirus. Uganda's confirmed coronavirus cases stand at 55 cases with 8 recoveries and no deaths so far.
Justice Wilson Kwesiga, the head of the High court, criminal division ruled Tuesday that he couldn’t hear the application because the lockdown has affected several court processes including curtailed movement.
Kwesiga also said the release of Tumukunde can as well wait so as to prevent the regrettable health incidents which might occur. Tumukunde was arrested on the evening of March 13, 2020 from his home at Impala Avenue in Kololo on allegations of treason and illegal possession of firearms.
The chief justice Bart Katureebe closed Ugandan courts for at least a month on March 19 with only hearings allowed virtually so as to minimise the spread of the coronavirus in the country. Kwesiga also directed Tumukunde to get substantial sureties who are above his rank or at the same rank when he returns to court for the bail hearing.
The sureties will be required to secure authorisation letters from the UPDF chief of staff allowing them to stand surety for Tumukunde. He had earlier on presented his wife Stella Tumukunde, Alliance for National Transformation national coordinator and former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Gen Mugisha Muntu, Salaam Musumba, the FDC party vice president and his brother, Hannington Karuhanga as his sureties.
Tumukunde is battling one count of treason and two counts related to illegal possession of firearms. Prosecution alleges that on March 5, 2020 while appearing the Morning Breeze program on the Kamwokya based NBS TV, Tumukunde uttered statements calling for an unlawful change of the legitimate government of Uganda.
He allegedly said, "If I was a neighbouring country, I would wish to support people who want to cause a change in Uganda.”
This, according to the prosecution, was aimed at instigating Rwanda to invade Uganda and cause an unlawful change of government.
Prosecution also alleges that on March 13, while at Impala Avenue in Kampala district, Tumukunde was found in illegal possession of an AK-47 rifle and a Star Pistol registration number EL 860030. Tumukunde expressed interest in the presidency in the 2021 general elections on March 3, 2020. He served as Security minister from 2016 before he was sacked by President Yoweri Museveni in 2018.
This is the latest public fallout with the establishment after another in 2003. While at a retreat, Tumukunde opposed the removal of presidential term limits that opened the constitutional gates for Museveni to stand for re-election for life.
Tumukunde argued that this would be a direct contravention of the values for which they fought to bring the current establishment in 1986. He told Museveni and his cabinet that he was not willing to be part of such unconstitutional behaviour from the president.
It was not long before Tumukunde was charged with the offences of abuse of office and spreading harmful propaganda. He was forced to resign from parliament as Army MP in 2005 before he was subsequently arrested and placed under house arrest for two years.