Nakawa LC5 Councillor John Mary Ssebuwufu has been further remanded by the Chief Magistrates Court in Nakawa until March 3, 2026, after a bail hearing could not proceed due to technical issues with the court’s electronic system.
Magistrate Sanula Nambozo told the court that Ssebuwufu’s bail application could not be processed because the defence had failed to successfully upload the sureties’ details onto the ECCMIS system. Defence lawyer Kato Tumusiime argued that all necessary documents had been uploaded and attributed the glitch to a fault in the court system, requesting a stand-over and a rescheduled bail hearing.
Ssebuwufu, 50, a resident of Nakawa, was previously charged with incitement to violence. He was arraigned last week before Grade One Magistrate Sanula Namboozo, where he pleaded not guilty to a single count of incitement.
The prosecution alleges that between November and December 2025, Ssebuwufu incited members of the public to commit acts of violence targeting supporters of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) across Kampala, Mukono, Masaka, and Mpigi. State Attorney Mahatima Odongo informed the court that investigations into the matter are ongoing.
Ssebuwufu’s legal team, stated that their client was arrested on January 14, 2026, just before the presidential and parliamentary elections, and had been detained for three weeks prior to being produced in court. The lawyers also noted that they had filed a habeas corpus application seeking orders to compel security agencies to produce Ssebuwufu in court “dead or alive,” but the application became moot after his court appearance.
Magistrate Namboozo declined to hear the bail application, citing the absence of evidence from the habeas corpus file and prior court commitments. Ssebuwufu, who recently won the Nakawa LCV seat, was advised to reapply for bail on February 17, 2026, upon returning to court from prison.