PICTORIAL Tumukunde calm as he stares at life in jail

Former Security Minister was on Wednesday arraigned in court for the first time since his arrest last week from his home in Kololo.

At around 1 pm, a police convoy arrived at City Hall, the Kampala Capital City Authority headquarters amidst tight security that included Counter Terrorism police, general duties police and JAAT operatives carrying heavy machine guns.

From a police director’s vehicle was the former spymaster who had been escorted by AIGP Grace Akullo, the CID director.

He was later helped by security operatives in plain clothes as he was too weak to support himself to walk into the court room.

Meanwhile, journalists were not allowed to access court after mean-looking Counter Terrorism police officers got strict orders to lock entrances to the courtroom.

Inside the courtroom, the retired UPDF Lieutenant General and former spymaster who was draped in a grey cardigan and white t-shirt with moccasin shoes in his feet sat on a special chair put for him and was on a few occasions seen talking to his lawyers led by Alex Luganda whereas on other occasions he scanned through newspapers he had at his disposal.

A special seat was put for him to sit in front as he followed court proceedings calmly with a plaster on his left hand, a sign that he a cannula had earlier been fixed.

When his case was mentioned, Tumukunde who was too frail to stand in the dock remain seated.

Meanwhile, two charges of unlawful possession of two firearms and treason were read to him and pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm.

He was not allowed to plead to the latter because it is a capital offence only tried by the High Court but for the former charge, the state told court that investigations had been complete and was ready for trial to begin.

The former spymaster’s case was later adjourned to March 30 and he was helped by prison officers to a waiting van that drove him to Luzira where he will spend at least a week.

The charges

The state alleges that retired Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde was on the 5th day of March 2020 at Impala Avenue Kololo in the Kampala district found in possession a modified AK 47 rifle and a Star pistol without valid firearm certificates.

The state further alleges that while appearing on NBS Television in Kamwokya during the Morning Breeze show, Tumukunde made utterances that if he was Rwanda, he would wish to cause change in Uganda.

According to the state, these statements were aimed at instigating Rwanda to overthrow the Ugandan government.