Court to rule on registrar, journalists assault case

Senior registrar of the High Court Fred Waninda is under fire for allegedly assaulting two journalists and damaging their cameras as they covered a land case in which he was involved in April 2019. FILE PHOTO

Court has fixed August 23 for ruling on a case in which a senior court registrar of the High Court, Mr Fred Waninda, is accused of assaulting two journalists.
High Court Judge Andrew Bashaija set the date after the lawyer of the aggrieved journalists asked court for more time to reply to additional affidavit served to them by Mr Waninda’s lawyers, a day before the hearing of the case by.

The judge directed the journalist’s lawyer, Mr Simon Kalende, to file their reply to the additional affidavit on July 22.
Mr Hannington Kisakye and Mr Eric Yiga of Smart 24 television station and Salt Media, respectively, allege that Mr Waninda beat them up as they covered a case in which he is accused of grabbing 13 acres of land in Mukono District.

In his additional affidavit, Mr Wanida denied ever owning a square metre of Kabaka’s land in Nansana, Busiro and Kyadondo.
“The blackmail scheme of the applicants and their sponsors have been to giving me negative publicity all through by moving from office to office such as Judicial Service Commission, Principal Judge’s office, Chief Justice’s office, office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Land Inquiry Commission,” Mr Waninda submitted.

Through Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, his lawyers, Mr Waninda asserts that he will move court to have the matter dismissed as malicious and intended to tarnish his good reputation.
He says he will also ask the court for general damages worth Shs300m.