The bail hearing of National Unity Platform Deputy President for Buganda, Hon Muwanga Kivumbi, has been adjourned to 25 August 2026 by the Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court. Kivumbi faces charges of inciting violence and managing an unlawful society. Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi and NUP Acting President John Baptist Nambeshe, together with other party leaders, attended the session on Friday. Instead of proceeding to the merits of the bail application, the prosecution applied to stop the live coverage of the court proceedings. The court will rule on both the application to bar live streaming and the defence’s bail application on the next hearing date. Nambeshe described the prosecution’s move as a diversion from addressing the substance of the case. He said the party remains hopeful that justice will prevail and that Kivumbi will be granted his constitutional right to bail. The adjournment continues a pattern of delays in the matter. Kivumbi and his supporters maintain that the charges are politically motivated, while the State has insisted on prosecuting the case under the law. The right to bail is a constitutional entitlement, subject to the court’s assessment of whether the accused is likely to abscond, interfere with witnesses, or pose a threat to public order. Equally, the question of live coverage raises issues of open justice and public access to court proceedings in cases of significant public interest. How the court balances these competing considerations on 25 August will be closely watched by both political actors and advocates of judicial transparency.
Court Delays Ruling as Prosecution Seeks to Block Live Coverage of Proceedings
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