The High Court has denied bail to Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde who is battling charges of treason and unlawful possession of firearms.
High Court Judge Wilson Kwesiga said Tumukunde’s bail will be reconsidered after the COVID-19 lockdown.
Kwesiga also ordered him to produce at least two serving soldiers at his rank or above as his sureties.
Tumukunde has been remanded until May 6.
Grounds for bail
Gen Tumukunde applied for bail about two weeks ago seeking release to attend trial while coming from home. He pledged not to interfere with investigations and said he is a presidential candidate, who needs to traverse the country to consult the electorate on his presidential bid. He said he has a fixed place of abode on Plot 34 in Upper Kololo Terrance in Kampala and is therefore unlikely to jump bail.
The state attorney objected to his bail request, saying the charges Gen Tumukunde is facing are critical to national security as they involve the diplomatic relations between Uganda and Rwanda. He argued that the investigations are still in infancy yet the case will require interviewing witnesses, visiting scenes and collecting physical evidence across the entire country.
The state attorney argued that releasing the general at this stage of the investigations, given his influential nature, would be detrimental to the progress of the investigations.
The Charges
Under the charge of treason, the prosecution alleges that while appearing on NBS TV during the morning Breeze show on March 5 this year, Gen Henry Tumukunde said: “If I was Rwandan, I would support those who want to cause a change in Uganda. According to prosecution, the aforementioned utterances were aimed at instigating Rwanda to attack Uganda to cause an unlawful change of regime.”
It is further alleged that later, he was found in unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, the charges Gen Tumukunde has denied.
Last month, Gen Tumukunde, wrote to the Electoral Commission, seeking permission to consult the people in furtherance of his presidential bid in which he wants to oust his Luweero bush war comrade, President Museveni in the 2021 General Election.
