You don’t need medical treatment abroad, court tells Kakwenza

Court has ruled that satirical writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija does not need a passport to travel abroad for speacialised treatment of his alleged torture wounds.

Mr Kakwenza had recently applied to Buganda Road Court, through his lawyers, to have his passport released so as to travel outside the country to have specialised treatment. 

He had also wanted the same passport to enable him travel to Germany to pick his award in recognition of his critical writing.

“His (Kakwenza) condition can be sustained in our numerous medical facilities,” presiding Chief Magistrate, Dr Douglas Singiza, ruled last evening.

Mr Kakwenza is accused of using social media and making abusive, derogatory and belittling tweets against the First Son, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and President Museveni.

The magistrate also held that no witnesses were presented to court to prove that indeed Kakwenza was tortured apart from his own lawyer, Mr Eron Kiiza.

Magistrate Singiza also declined to stay the aforementioned proceedings to allow the High Court to investigate the alleged torture claims.

Subsequently, court set March 23 to commence the case in which Kakwenza is facing two counts in connection with the Computer Misuse Act.

Speaking to Daily Monitor after the court session, Mr Kiiza said they were dissatisfied with the ruling and that they would appeal against it.

Documents that Kakwenza and his lawyers had attached to seek the release of his passport included a medical report from St Francis Hospital Nsambya that indicated that he had blood clots under his nails, the nail of his right index finger is partially out of the nail bed, multiple lacerations and healing bruises on his back, buttocks thighs and right forearm, stress structure left distal tibial shaft and periostitis left fibula.

On December 28, 2021, Kakwenza was picked up by a joint security team from his home in Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb, and driven to an unknown place where he was detained for over a week. He was later produced before the court in the absence of his lawyers, relatives and media and charged before being sent to Kitalya prison.

Prosecution contends that in December last year, Kakwenza deliberately and repeatedly used his Twitter account to disturb the peace of President Museveni and the First Son, Gen Muhoozi.

Kakwenza, who denies the said allegations, is out on bail pending his trial.