Four remanded for vandalizing UTL property
The quartet appeared in a session presided by magistrate Marion Mangeni and denied two counts which are; damaging and tampering with telecommunication installations and theft. File photo
What you need to know:
- Prosecution contended that Mwambu, Katabira, Wetaka, Wetaka, Onyangaia, Mugabi and others still at large on the night of October 20, 2018 at Wandegeya, a city suburb, damaged, removed and tampered with approximately 250 metres of a 600 copper core cable, belonging to UTL. It alleges that the accused stole copper cables are valued at Shs33m.
The Specialized Utilities Wildlife and Standards Court at Buganda Road, has remanded four people for stealing Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) property ranging from poles, metres and drop wires.
They include; Hannington Kigongo alias Muhamudu, 60, Godfrey Kaweesa, 50, John Edu Kawesa alias Kifefe, 33 and Moses Ssemwanga, 35.
The quartet appeared in a session presided by magistrate Marion Mangeni and denied two counts which are; damaging and tampering with telecommunication installations and theft.
Upon denying the charges, they applied for bail, but Ms Mangeni could not give a ruling on the bail application after the state prosecutor, Mr Ivan Kyazze, informed court that he needed time to verify with National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) for the authenticity of the sureties’ identity cards.
Mr Kyazze further intimated to court that one of the suspects’ sureties is the accused person still at large and needs to be apprehended.
Prosecution contends that the four suspects and others still at large on May 11, 2019 at Mengo, a Kampala suburb damaged, removed and tampered with telecommunications poles and poles belonging to UTL.
On the count of theft, the state alleges that still on the same date and place, the suspects stole 200 poles and 10,000 metres of drop wires valued at more than Shs33m.
The trial magistrate adjourned the matter to September 13.
This is not the first time that this court is charging people for vandalizing UTL property. In March this year, five people namely; Fredrick Mwambu, 34, Ibrahim Katabira, 40, a driver, Bernard Wetaka, 24, Stephen Andrew Onyangai ,33, a police officer at Wandegeya and Abdallah Mugabi, 36, a businessman appeared before the same court on similar charges.
Prosecution contended that Mwambu, Katabira, Wetaka, Wetaka, Onyangaia, Mugabi and others still at large on the night of October 20, 2018 at Wandegeya, a city suburb, damaged, removed and tampered with approximately 250 metres of a 600 copper core cable, belonging to UTL. It alleges that the accused stole copper cables are valued at Shs33m.
