By Witness Radio team
The Magistrate Court in Kiryandongo district this morning is hearing bail applications of the two land rights defenders and eight farmers currently remanded at Kigumba Prison last week.
On 09th/02/2023, the ten (10) were all charged by the Magistrate Court in Kiryandongo with three counts of threatening violence, and all entered a plea of not guilty.
Threatening violence takes a punishment of four years imprisonment upon conviction.
The prosecution alleges that the victims on 01/02/2023 threatened to injure, assault, or kill Wakoko Robert, Kilenda David, and Kato Francis. The trio is a laborer of Somdium Limited.
The two community land rights defenders are Mulekwa David and Mulenga Jackson. At the same time, the eight (8) farmers are Kanunu Innocent, Musabe Steven, Munyankole Enock, Lokong Gabriel, Ntambala Geoffrey, Kagenyi Steven, Mukombozi Frank, and Kuzara Frank, all located in Nyamutende village in Kiryandongo district.
On 14th February 2023, the prosecution led three witnesses among them included Wakoko Robert, an assistant manager of Somdiam limited Company; Kato Francis, the owner of the tractors that plowed community land and Kilenda David, one of Kato’s workers. During the cross-examination, the accused lawyers could tender two witness statements (Wakoko and Kato) to be relied on by Court.
The defense lawyers applied for an oral bail application seeking the Court’s permission to release the accused. Still, the prosecution told Court it could not respond to the bail application, which was relied on by the Court.
The Prosecution led by Najjuuko Brenda also requested that sureties’ documentation be served to Resident State Attorney’s office to enable it to prepare for the response.
According to information gathered by Witness Radio Uganda, Somdiam Company Limited was incorporated in Uganda in 2011 and deals in imports of assorted food commodities among these are rice, sugar, vegetable cooking oil, biscuits, salt, tomato paste, powdered milk, pasta & spaghetti and are well established with professional operations is interested in growing sugar canes in Kiryandongo district.
The company on its website ranks itself as one of the biggest exporters to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan and is continuously sourcing products that we feel have the potential to impact the markets. The success of Somdiam Limited Uganda has yielded branches in Rwanda, Tanzania, Benin, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Togo, and United Arab Emirates- Dubai. The Company has synergies in the region and beyond that in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, India, Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Togo, Benin, Rwanda, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
The imprisonment of the community defenders and farmers comes after their continued resistance to forced eviction by the company, which wants to leave over 1000 families landless. On 8th February 2023, the District Police Commander (DPC) Muhangi Edson invaded local farmers’ homes in the wee hours and violently arrested two land rights defenders and ten farmers, including two minors. Kiryandongo district police later released the minors.
The court fixed the ruling of the bail application today, Tuesday, the 21st of February 2023, at 10:00 East African Standard time.
