Lawyer Mabirizi Granted Mandatory Bail After Six Months in Detention

After spending approximately six months in jail, lawyer Male Mabirizi has been granted mandatory bail by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court. This release comes after Mabirizi, who represented himself, challenged his prolonged detention.

Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa ordered Mabirizi to deposit Shs2 million in cash and present two sureties who will each execute a Shs5 million non-cash bond. Additionally, Mabirizi must provide details of his permanent residence for verification and deposit his passport with the court. He is forbidden from travelling outside Uganda without prior written permission until his trial concludes.

The magistrate also stipulated that Mabirizi must not interfere with any prosecution witnesses and must appear in court on all scheduled hearing dates. Failure to comply could lead to the cancellation of his bail.

This decision follows a previous bail application that was rejected by the same court. At that time, Mabirizi failed to provide adequate identification, such as a valid national ID, and his proposed sureties presented expired documents without proof of renewal.

Mabirizi faces four counts under the Computer Misuse Act, stemming from alleged social media posts targeting the Chief Justice and a Court of Appeal Judge. The prosecution has already presented its first witness in the case.

The court also declined Mabirizi’s attempts to file Notices of Reference to the Constitutional Court and rejected his request to have the case dismissed for want of prosecution.

Mabirizi is expected to be released once he fulfills all the bail conditions set by the court.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)