General Kale Kayihura has his day in court, faces kidnap and failure to protect war materials charges

Former Inspector General of police; Gen. Kale Kayihura has been charged with failure to protect war materials and aiding the kidnap and repatriation of Rwandan nationals. Kayihura who pleaded not guilty, appeared in the general court martial for the very first time after 72 days of his arrest.

Clad in his army uniform with a smile on his face; Gen. Kale Kayihura appeared in the public after 72 days of detention, this time in the General Court Martial; Makindye. Silently, he took position in the docket.

His appearance in the docket announced the reading out of the state’s intentions of cases it has against him. One could hear a pin drop; as Andrew Gutti held Kayihura’s charge in his hands.

Kayihura faces the charges of failure of protect war materials which the counts of failure to supervise their use and ensure accountability and issuing of arms and ammunition to unauthorised persons.

The second charge is aiding and abetting the kidnap and illegal repatriation of Rwandan exiles, refugees and Ugandan citizens to Rwanda.

Kayihura did not agree with the charges the army court pressed against him.

After every statement on the charge sheet was read out; Kayihura’s lawyers from Kampala Associate Advocates stood up to apply for bail, a moved denied by the man in charge of the court martial, Andrew Gutti.

The move by Kayihura’s lawyers of citing past precedents in the same court to have bail application heard, only fell on deaf ears, as Andrew Gutti maintained his ground.

Kayihura’s case has been adjourned to September 04, but he’ll appear in court for bail application hearing on Tuesday, August 28, 2018.