Ntungamo based Daily Monitor reporter, Perezi Rumanzi, who was on Wednesday remanded to prison after being charged with incitement to violence, is out on bail.
Rumanzi was charged before the Ntungamo Grade One Magistrate Francis Machenga. The journalist failed to provide two sureties in court on Wednesday forcing the magistrate to send him on remand at Ntungamo prison until May 30, 2012.
But Daily Monitor lawyer, Geoff Mariiro applied for a production warrant on Thursday that saw Rumanzi produced in court and granted a non cash bail of one million shillings and 2 million shillings for each of his two sureties.
After his arrest on April 29, police first charged him with terrorism and later changed it to obstruction before being released on bond.
Rumanzi spent two days in the Ntungamo police cells after he was arrested by Special Forces Group (SFG) personnel for allegedly interfering with the security of the First Lady Janet Museveni at Kyamate cathedral in Ntungamo. Mrs. Museveni had been invited as the chief guest during the installation of the members of South Ankole Diocese synod.
Rumanzi says he was cleared to cover the ceremony but he briefly left the place to download some pictures from the camera. When he returned to the cathedral, he was reportedly denied access with security personnel claiming that he had not been cleared.
The journalist was told to keep his Camera away and also vacate the place. Rumanzi says he kept his camera away and came back to attend the service but he was arrested and whisked away to the police.
The prosecution alleges that Rumanzi conducted himself in a manner that got the security concerned. It further claims that Rumanzi interfered with the movement of security people and when he was asked to go away he instead started hurling insults at the security team telling them that their time to go will come.
Addressing the press after being released, Rumanzi maintained his innocence.
