Ugandan Woman Charged With 'disturbing the peace of religious assemblies'

In Summary

• Namara Claire charged with disturbing the peace at Lubaga Cathedral Church for protesting with a placard against corruption during a religious service.
• The protest is part of a broader movement calling for the resignation of Parliament leader Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among, accused of corruption.
• Namara was released on non-cash bail of Uganda Shillings 500,000 and is to return to court on August 22, 2024.
• Other related legal actions continue, including charges against 36 FDC members for terrorism-related offences after deportation from Kenya.

KAMPALA, UGANDA- A Court of Judicature in Kampala on monday charged a woman with a disturbing the peace of religious assemblies, an offence allegedly committed on sunday morning in a local church.

In a chargesheet seen by The African Exponent, "the prosecution alleged that a one Namara Claire on the 28th day of July 2024 at Lubaga Cathedral Church, Rubaga Division in the Kampala District voluntarily caused disturbance to an assembly lawfully enaged in perfomance of religious worship or religious ceremony"-it read in part.

Mr. Magogo is the husband to the embattled Rt .Hon. Anita Annet Among, who is facing calls to resign, a call he has ignored with sheer impunity. Last year, Mrs Anita gifted Magogo a new Range Rover Vogue alleged to have been purchased using taxpayers money.

Ms Namara was arrested by Uganda Police while she was at the church holding a placard with words " magogo's birthday car would pad one million young girls for a year" calling for efforts to stop corruption and a showing support to the campaign to march to parliament.

This is among the wider protests that have lasted close to a week where the citeznry are callling upon the top leadership of Uganda's blotted parliament to stop engaging in alleged corruption scandles.

The Ugandan youths accuse the Parliament leader Rt Hon Anita Annet Among of gross corruption and her entire house, calling for her immediate resignation among other strong demands aimed at cleansing the legislature.

The Lawyer representing her and other arrested protesters, Mr Eron Kiiza, while speaking to The African Exponent, described these charges as 'defective and unsubstantiated.'

"The charges are defective and unsubstantiated—they deliberately omit the nature of the alleged disturbance—the display of the Ugandan flag 🇺🇬 in church. Who thought that the regime would descend to the sink of criminalization of patriotism? We all have a right to display the Ugandan flag and doing so even if in form of protest is not a crime since peaceful protest is not a crime but a fundamental human right."~he told our reporter in Kampala.

Ms Namara was later released on non cash bail set at Uganda Shillings 500,000 [$134.22] and is expected to return to the Court on 22/08/2024.

In a related story, 36 protesters terrorism-related offences after they were deported from neighbouring Kenya where they had travelled to attend a training course, court documents seen by The African Exponent showed.

The 36 people, who are members of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), one of Uganda's biggest opposition parties, deny the charges. Their lawyer, Erias Lukwago, told The African Exponent outside the magistrates' court in Kampala the charges were "ridiculous".

Kenyan authorities detained and then deported the 36 people after they had travelled to the western Kenyan city of Kisumu on July 23 to take part in a leadership and governance training course, their lawyer and party officials told reporters.

In a related development, 20 incacerated protesters previously remanded by another court at Buganda road were released on bail following interventions of Uganda's association for lawyers-The Uganda Law Society. This developed follows the 14 earlier released and whooping total of 69 still languish in prisons on remand.

A total of 29 people remain in custody and not accounted for, bringing the grand total to 132.

The calls for Uganda's judiciary to restore the freedoms of these people remain sounding loudily.