The Katikkiro of Buganda Kingdom, Charles Peter Mayiga has expressed his concerns in respect to the ongoing debate on whether bail on capital offences should be lifted.
In a meeting with the Kingdom subjects from Buddu county in greater Masaka, Mayiga asserted that all accused persons have a right to bail until they are proven guilty by a competent court of law.
“Any person even if he or she is battling charges related to murder has a constitutional right to bail and they should be given bail as investigations go on. To confirm whether the accused has really committed the crime, he or she has to be brought before the competent courts of law,” said the Katikkiro.
This was in response to President Museveni’s remark that persons accused of murder and other grave crimes should not be granted bail, as he delivered a speech during the Fourth Annual Benedicto Kiwanuka Memorial lecture at the High Court grounds in Kampala earlier this week.
“In no time we are now being told that bail is a right. Really! Somebody has killed a person and you see him walking here. This is just a provocation I can tell you. Judges must be very careful because they are playing in a very dangerous area which we can’t accept,” he said in his speech.
Dissatisfied by the president’s point of view, Mayiga noted that not everyone who is accused of committing an offence is guilty of it. They therefore deserve a right to bail until proven guilty.
He also spoke against the inhumane treatment of opposition MPs Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana during their rearrests, even after being granted bail by a competent court of law..