NEWS- The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has remanded to Luzira prison the former Rubaga Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner, Herbert Anderson Burora.
He was charged with hate speech and malicious information under the Computer Misuse Act. A person charged with that offense and is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding seven hundred and fifty currency points or imprisonment not exceeding seven years, or both.
Burora was arraigned Wednesday afternoon before the Chief Magistrate, Ronald Kayizzi, who read the two charges. Burora denied the charges read in in a fully packed courtroom.
The Court heard that between March and June 2024 in the areas of Kampala District or thereabout while using a computer via X his handle Harder HB”, Burora shared information that was likely to ridicule, degrade or demean and promote hostility against the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Annet Anita Among.
On the second count, the prosecution stated that Burora shared malicious information relating to Anita Among around the same time and areas. The Prosecution led by State Attorneys Richard Birivumbuka, Joan Keko, and Ivan Kyazze informed the Court that investigations into the matter were still ongoing.
A team of seven lawyers representing Burora asked the Court to dismiss the charges against their client because the charge sheet was defective. The lawyers, Phillip Munaabi, David Kamukama, and Benjamin Katana argued that the charge sheet did not show what he said to constitute hate speech, and nothing malicious was indicated.
The Defence team cited the Dr.Stella Nyanzi case in which the Prosecutors indicated that she used buttocks and other vulgar words, which is not the case with Buroroa’s charge sheet. Phillip Munaabi asked the Court to free Anderson until such a time when a proper charge sheet will be drafted by the Prosecution.
But, the Prosecution’s Richard Birivumbuka asked the Court to give them an adjournment to reply to the submissions raised by Anderson’s lawyers. However, Burora’s lawyers insisted that if the Prosecutors were not legally prepared, their client should have been released pending their readiness.
Anderson’s lawyers further put up a spirited fight saying that if Prosecutor Birivumbuka is busy next week, his colleague Ivan Kyazze who is ever at Buganda Road Court should take charge and handle the matter instead of remanding him for so long.
However in his ruling, the Chief Magistrate Kayizzi said the issues of legality of the charge sheet will have to first be resolved before the matter can proceed. He decided to remand Anderson until July 9th 2024.
Trouble for Burora who had served as a Deputy RCC for more than five years in both Nakawa Division and Rubaga combined started around March 2024 when he started posting information condemning alleged corruption in Parliament especially perpetrated by the Speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among.
He was accordingly suspended from the office in a March 14th, 2024 letter by Hajji Yunus Kakande to pave the way for investigations, and directed to hand over to the Deputy RCC for Kampala Central.
