State minister for labour Mwesigwa Rukutana is expected in court today after spending his third night in police detention over charges of attempted murder.
On September 07, Nazifa Namayanja, a Ntungamo Grade One Magistrate, remanded Rukutana until the following day.
Namayanja charged Rukutana with attempted murder, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, threatening violence, and malicious damage to property.
Prosecution alleges that Mwesigwa Rukutana and others, on September 05, 2020, while at Kagugu Village in Ntungamo District, unlawfully attempted to cause the death of Daniel Rweburingi contrary to section 204(a) of the Penal Code Act.
His bodyguards: Police Constable (PC) No. 46613 Paul Agec, No. 62477 PC Faizo Kazoora, and RA 215020L/CPL John Bosco Okello; and driver Napoleon Nuwamanya were not in court.
But the magistrate couldn’t hear Rukutana’s bail application, saying the matter was beyond her jurisdiction, and would be determined by Chief Magistrate Sarah Kolya.
When he appears in court, the Rushenyi County MP could either be granted bail or further remanded to allow police conduct more investigations.
CID director Grace Akullo has already taken over the case, and quizzed eye witnesses that were at the scene of crime.
Meanwhile, Rukutana’s supporters are piling more pressure on President Yoweri Museveni to ensure that the MP is released.
In a September 07 protest, these threatened to join Bobi Wine’s People Power and National Unity Platform (NUP) if the minister is not freed.
