Arinaitwe Case: Court Gives Ultimatum for Witnesses to Appear or Case Faces Dismissal

Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has given the Director of Public Prosecutions three weeks to bring witnesses in the case involving Detective Superintendent of Police Gilbert Arinaitwe Bwana.

Arinaitwe, known for pepper-spraying Dr. Kizza Besigye during the 2011 Walk to Work protest, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for aggravated trafficking in persons.

However, if witnesses to this case are not produced by the next hearing on February 7, the case may be dismissed for lack of evidence.

This development comes after the Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi was informed by the State prosecutor that the witnesses could not be reached on their phones.

The Chief Magistrate emphasized that if Arinaitwe committed a crime, the State should be ready to prosecute him.

Despite being charged in August 2023 with Aggravated Trafficking in Persons, no witnesses have testified against him in the five months since.

Arinaitwe is accused of sexually trafficking his 23-year-old housemaid who he allegedly recruited, transported, and harbored his housemaid for sexual exploitation in June 2023.

The victim reported being raped multiple times, confined without adequate food, and not paid a salary. She is now under the care of a Non-Governmental Organization.