Makindye West jailed Member of Parliament Allan Ssewanyana, and Kawempe North’s Muhammad Ssegirinya will again spend another Christmas in jail following the adjournment of their case to February 20, 2023.

The Deputy Registrar at International Crimes Division, Beatrice Stella Atingu, said this has been done due to the absence of the Pre-trial Judge- Alice Komuhangi who is reportedly sick.

The accused’s defence lawyers led by Samuel Muyizzi have expressed discontentment over the Court’s decision.

He said he hoped to access the accused in order to append their signatures on some legal documents that would enable them to file a Constitutional Petition, challenging their continued trial, but still, this has failed.

“The Prison authorities barred members of the public from accessing inmates for fear of spreading of Covid-19 and this has made our work difficult since our clients cannot talk to us, swear or file supporting affidavits to their petition, which is contrary to November,07, 2022-Justice Alice Komuhangi’s recent orders,” Muyizzi said.

 He also noted that today, their clients have not been physically produced in Court on grounds of Ebola threat, but appeared via Zoom.

Muyizzi says their clients contend that the filing of their Constitution petition questioning the procedure used in witness protection and the double trial at Masaka and Kololo Courts has been delayed, yet justice delayed is justice denied.

The two legislators, subscribe to the National Unit Platform (NUP), and are being charged alongside four others, with financing Terrorism, Murder, and attempted murder relating to the spate of Machete murders that swept the greater Masaka Region in 2021.

Meanwhile, following the Presidential Directives on COVID-19 Pandemic prevention, for anyone to gain access to Kololo-based- International Crimes and Anticorruption Divisions of the High Court, one must prove to have been fully vaccinated by showing a vaccination certificate.