Nine people have been charged for the murder of John Bosco Ariong, an Assistant Inspector of Police who was reportedly stoned during riots on Wednesday. Ariong died just as he was rushed to hospital and the latest post mortem report shows that he died of a brain injury.
The nine are part of the 16 people who were arrested following the riots. Seven of them, including FDC leader Kiiza Besigye, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Kampala woman MP Nabilah Naggayi and Kawempe Mayor Mubarak Munyagwa, have since been released on police bond.
48-year old Ariong, who until his death was in charge of Kafumbe Mukasa Road police post, was killed around Mini Price on Ben Kiwanuka Street in downtown Kampala shortly after the arrest of opposition politicians.
Appearing before Nakawa Grade Two Magistrate Mackay Opolot on Friday evening, the accused were barred from entering plea on grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction to try capital offenses. Opolot remanded them to Luzira Prison until April 5th when they will return to court.
Those remanded include Twalib Kakande, Herod Kaija, Robert Kavuma, Isma Kirya, Yoweri Kintu, Shanita Nakitende, Muhammed Ssebugwawo, Ronald Mpindi and Abdul Kayondo.
However, another accused person, Catherine Dembe, was not brought to court because she is hospitalized due to injuries she sustained during her arrest on Wednesday. Court issued criminal summons requiring her to appear in court on April 5th.
There was a separate charge of managing an unlawful society against Kiiza Besigye, Erias Lukwago, Nabilah Naggayi, Mubarak Munyagwa and others.
The charge was, however, withdrawn after their lawyers led by Medard Lubega Sseggona objected to the charge being read citing the law on territorial jurisdiction. Sseggona argued that the alleged crime was committed at Mini Price, an area under the jurisdiction of Buganda Road Court and not Nakawa Court.
