Four Makerere University students who were arrested and remanded for inciting violence, while protesting for the release of Dr Stella Nyanzi have petitioned Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Jamson Karemani seeking reallocation of their file from Grade One magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu to another magistrate.
The four students are Edmund Kahigi, Roy Rugumayo, Hannington Mugarura and Stephen Ariho and have been on remand since 13th May 2017.
In a letter dated 22nd May 2017 addressed to Buganda Road Chief Magistrate, the students’ lawyer Isaac Semakadde says they attempted severally to plead to Magistrate Kamasanyu to grant them bail so they could prepare for their exams but she was unbothered.
The lawyer says on April 22nd when the matter came up, the magistrate appeared in court 2 hours late and not only refused to apologise, but also declined to commence with the bail application, choosing to instead order commencement of the trial.
“The conduct of the trial magistrate has been less impartial in so far as her injudicious determinations have robbed (the students) of nearly two weeks of preparations for their upcoming end of semester examinations starting on 26th May 2017,” Sekamadde complained.
He thus asked the chief magistrate to examine the court proceedings on which the magistrate denied the accused bail and also forward the case file to High Court for revision.
“In either case your worship, we request that you be pleased to direct the accused whose bail was denied by the lower court to be released on bail so that they can attend their final examinations.”
Meanwhile, Magistrate Kamasanyu informed the accused that since their previous counsel abandoned the matter without giving court any reason on their next appearance, their lawyer should come prepared for both the bail application as well as hearing of the matter.
The students will appear tomorrow before the magistrate.
The Chief magistrate was yet to reply to this letter whose receipt was acknowledged by a stamp of his chamber dated 22 May 2017.