By witnessradio.org Team
High Court in Mubende has denied witnessradio.org staff and a land defender bail and has set late February as timeline to start hearing the case.
witnessradio.org‘s Nantubiro Grace and Mugwabya Ronald applied for bail after spending over two months on remand on charges of murder and aggravated robbery plus seven other counts. Mugwabya is part of a group of 26 community land rights defenders arrested for resisting illegal land eviction orchestrated by one Kaweesi George while Nantubiro monitors land evictions in Mubende greater region, empowers and mobilises community to understand their land rights.
Kaweesi is illegally evicting over 3500 lawful occupants on Block 168; Plot 19, 22 and 23 on five villages namely; Kambuye, Kikono, Kyabaana, Kanseera and Lwensanga in East Division, Mubende Municipality, Mubende district. The land which adjacent to Kaweeri Coffee Plantation is covering on 322.5 hectares.
Chief Magistrate court in Mubende on January, 22nd, 2018 committed the 28 to High Court for trial which is an indication that investigations into the matters have been concluded.
While delivering his ruling on the bail application, Justice Joseph Mulangira ordered both the state and accused to complete their filing by February, 28th.
