A lawyer following the Kenneth Akena murder trial on behalf of the victim’s family has condemned the MPs from northern Uganda who last week lashed out at Oxfam executive director Winnie Byanyima for standing surety for the three key suspects.
Julius Ojok, who is described in legal parlance as a watch brief for the Akena family, said MPs Odongo Otto, Franca Akello, Beatrice Anywar and other relatives of Akena were wrong to attack Byanyima.
“Everybody, regardless of the charges against him/her, is entitled to bail. It was wrong to condemn somebody who sought to stand surety for the accused,” Ojok said in an interview with The Observer yesterday, shortly after court further remanded the three suspects.
A watch brief is a lawyer who follows court proceedings on behalf of the victim’s family. Last week, Justice Elizabeth Kabanda denied the accused bail. The principal state attorney Samalie Wakhooli argued that the three were a flight risk because they had valid visas and multiple passports.
The three, Matthew Kanyamunyu, his brother Joseph Kanyamunyu and girlfriend Cynthia Munwangari, are accused of murdering Kenneth Akena Watmon, a community development officer, who was fatally shot last November in Kampala.
However, the decision by Byanyima, a leading political figure in her own right and wife to opposition stalwart Kizza Besigye, to stand surety for her nephews sparked off protests from the legislators.
They said Byanyima, whose husband they had supported in four presidential elections, was siding with killers and threatened to withdraw their support for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, which Besigye founded.
But Ojok said the actions of the legislators disregarded the laws of natural justice.
“They are not murderers until a High court judge rules so. Calling them murderers who are not entitled to bail I think was wrong,” he added.
Ojok spoke to this newspaper after Nakawa Grade I Magistrate Noah Sajjabbi further remanded the Kanyamunyu brothers and Munwangari in prison until January 31 because the state said investigations into their murder case are incomplete.
State prosecutor, Rachel Nabwire, said the state was not ready to commit the three to the High court because their file was not yet ready.
In a court sitting that lasted no more than 10 minutes, the magistrate called on the state to quickly finish their investigations so that the accused are committed to the High court for trial.
Kanyamunyu’s lawyers led by Grace Karuhanga and Brenda Lwanga said the adjournment was affecting their clients’ right to a speedy trial.
dkiyonga@observer.ug
bakerbatte@gmail.com
