Kitatta fails to prove he is the leader of drivers and cyclists association in Uganda

Boda boda 2010 patron Abadalla Kitatta on Monday found a hard time trying to prove to the army court that he is the chairman for the National Union of Drivers, Cyclists and Allied Workers(NUDCAWU).

Early this month, Kitatta told the court that he has never been a member or leader of Boda boda 2010 adding that his only position is being the leader of NUDCAWU.

On Monday his lawyer Shaban Sanywa led Kitatta through a process in which he produced a work identification card for NUDCAWU before also presenting receipts to show that he was paying rent for the association at their offices in Nateete.

However the prosecutors led by Maj.Raphael Mugisha protested against the act of presenting receipts to show that Kitatta was chairman for the association.

Maj.Mugisha told court that the receipts don’t bear Kitatta’s name to prove he was paying rent but this was interjected by Sanywa saying his client paid the rent not under his name but the association.

The court chairman, Lt.gen.Andrew Gutti later asked Kitatta to present receipts to show he was paying rent from 2014 to 2018 to which the latter’s lawyer accepted and presented the documents.

This added salt into a wound as it attracted a series of questions from the army court chairman.

Lt.Gen Gutti then asked Kitatta to tell court the date and month he was arrested, before the latter mentioned January 20, 2018.

“Who now paid the money for rent while you were in detention? When did you pay the money yet the entire 2018 you were in detention? What you are telling us is not adding up. Let us leave that issue,”Gutti said.

This left Kitatta and his lawyer crestfallen since the only piece of evidence they were relying on to prove that he was the chairperson for cyclists and drivers was declared unfit.

On not being a member or leader for Boda boda 2010, Kitatta insisted that he was only a patron and a link between boda boda riders and government projects.

He said he also had a job of recruiting boda boda 2010 members into the ruling NRM party.

When asked what the word patron means, Kitatta said he is an illiterate and could not know the exact meaning of the word.

Asked whether there was any form of election that saw him take the position of patron boda boda 2010, Kitatta said riders approached him to hold the position and he accepted it.

The case was adjourned to February 11 for further defence hearing.

Kitatta is accused together with nine others including Ngobi Sowali,Ibrahim Ssekagya, Joel Kibirige, John Ssebandeke, Fred Bwanika,Hassan Ssematta,Amon Twinomujuni, Hussein Mugema of offences related to unlawful possession of military hardware and unlawful possession of a gun, pistol and ammunition.

They are accused of unlawful possession of 30 and 20 rounds of ammunition for SMG rifles and pistol respectively which are government stores contrary to section 161 of the UPDF Act.

The army also accuses the group of unlawful possession of military equipment including headgear and uniforms which are a monopoly of the defence forces.