Kayunga imam, fake bride released on bail

Kayunga imam accused of wedding a fellow man he thought was a woman has been released from prison on bail.
Sheikh Mohammed Mutumba and his ‘bride’, Richard Tumushabe alias Swabullah Nabukeera were Thursday released on bail.
Sheikh Mutumba, the imam of Kyampisi mosque is battling charges of having carnal knowledge with a person against the order of nature Tumushabe is charged with committing an unnatural offence.
They both received free legal representation from Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum.

They were remanded to Ntenjeru prison a month ago when Sheikh Mutumba, 27, was arrested after he claimed that he wedded Tumushabe, 19, in an Islamic ceremony, nikah thinking he was a woman.
After two weeks in marriage, Tumushabe’s true gender and identity were uncovered by the police following ‘her’ arrest on allegations of theft of a television set belonging to their neighbour.

Upon conducting a body search by a female police officer, the ‘bride’ was found to be a man. This, shocked the groom who said he didn’t know he had wedded a fellow man. However, both were charged and remanded.

While applying for bail before the Mukono Chief Magistrate, Ms Juliet Hatanga, the sheikh Mutumba’s lawyer, Mr Isaac Ssemakadde of Centre for Legal Aid argued that his client is a responsible man and a preacher who could not jump bail.
Sheikh Mutumba presented his father, Mr Hussein Nsereko and mother Sofia Nakaliro as sureties while Tumushabe presented his aunt, Ms Veronica Kirungi and another relative Fatiya Nakibuuka to guarantee that that he reports back to court whenever needed.
Sheikh Mutumba and Tumushabe were ordered to pay Shs1 million each while the sureties were each bonded Shs5m not cash.

Thursday court proceedings attracted several people including Dr Stella Nyanzi who was recently released from Luzira prison where she had spent months on charges of cyber harassment.
Outside court, Nyanzi, a former Makerere University research fellow, told journalists that he gone to court to defend the accused.
She condemned police for arresting arresting Tumushabe on grounds that he claimed to be a woman.