Shs1m bail cash fails Brian Isiko family, he is taken back to Luzira

What started as jubilation for Brian Isiko, the student accused of sending love ‘threatening’ messages to Kabarole District legislator Sylvia Rwabwogo, ended in tears after the 25-year-old YMCA student was returned to Luzira despite getting bailed by court.

Isiko was on Friday afternoon granted a Shs 1million cash bail by Buganda Road Grade I Magistrate Stella Amabirisi after presenting his uncles as sureties and he was ordered to return to court on 29th October 2018 for trial.

However, the family failed to raise the required Shs 1million as only Shs 300,000 was available. Isiko would be taken back to Luzira amidst cries from his mother Racheal Nakamya.

“I am seeking assistance in raising my son’s bail money. I am the mother, the father and my child is in school, I have no where to get the Shs 1million. I ask every Ugandan out there please help,” Nakamya said.

Isiko’s lawyer, Ramathan Waiswa confirmed Isiko had been taken back to Luzira as the family reorganises themselves to raise the required bail sum.

“Unfortunately Isiko has been taken back to Luzira this afternoon (Friday). Although court ordered for his release in court, he was ordered to pay Shs1m. His mother is a single mother, a widow and she is poor. She has gone back to the village and hopefully between now and Monday, she hope any well-wishers will help for she desperately needs her son to get bail,” he said.

High Court Judge, Jane Francis Abodo on Thursday quashed a two years imprisonment sentence for Isiko for sending love messages to Kabarole Woman Member of Parliament, Sylivia Rwabwogo.

Isiko,25 through his lawyer Ramathan Waiswa recently appealed against the sentence by Buganda Road court faulting the magistrate of  changing his plea of not guilty to a plea of guilty without following the prescribed procedure in the law.

Abodo ruled that it is true the lower court didnt follow the right procedure while charging and later sentencing him to two years for cyber harassment.

The judge ruled that in the right procedure of reading the charges for the accused and asking him to comment on the charges.

In his appeal,Isiko said he never intended to harm the legislator but noted that all he did was meant to befriend her.

To prove this assertion, Isiko’s lawyer reproduced the record of the lower court where he admitted  downloading MP Rwabwogo’s contact from the parliamentary website and expressed his freedom of speech   through sending her  love messages  that he had  picked  from  love songs and poems of American celebrities including Don Williams and Enrique Iglesias .

Isiko also faulted the lower court for convicting him on charges of cyber harassment and offensive communication basing on inadequate pieces of evidence.

Abodo said all the proceedings that led to Isiko’s conviction were done wrongly.

“The plea of not guilty was not properly entered and led to a wrong conviction.”

 

 

Isiko is accused of cyber harassment and offensive communication of which he pleads not guilty.

Prosecution alleges that between November 2017 and June 2018 in Kampala District, Isiko 25, sent frequent annoying love messages to the Kabarole District Member of Parliament Sylvia Rwabwogo.