Burora bail hearing flops
Former Rubaga Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Herbert Anderson Burora appeared before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court Tuesday morning for his bail hearing.
On July 4, Burora was charged with hate speech and malicious information under the Computer Misuse Act and was subsequently remanded to Luzira Prison until July 9, 2024.
If convicted, the offence carries a penalty of a fine not exceeding 750 currency points (Shs15 million) or imprisonment for up to seven years, or both.
The bus carrying Burora and other suspects arrived at court at 9:30am. Burora has denied the charges against him.
The court was informed that between March and June 2024, in the Kampala district or nearby areas, Burora, using the X (formerly Twitter) handle ‘@HarderHB,’ shared information that was likely to ridicule, degrade, demean, and promote hostility against the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among.
On the second count, the prosecution stated that Burora shared malicious information about Among during the same period and in the same areas.
The prosecution, led by state attorneys Richard Birivumbuka, Joan Keko, and Ivan Kyazze, informed the court that investigations were still ongoing.
Burora's legal team, consisting of seven lawyers, asked the court to dismiss the charges against their client, arguing that the charge sheet was defective.
Lawyers Phillip Munaabi, David Kamukama, and Benjamin Katana contended that the charge sheet did not specify what Burora had said to constitute hate speech, nor did it indicate anything malicious.
They cited the case of Dr. Stella Nyanzi, in which the prosecutors specified vulgar words used, which is not the case with Burora’s charge sheet.
Munaabi requested the court to release Burora until a proper charge sheet could be drafted by the prosecution.
However, Birivumbuka asked the court for an adjournment to respond to the defense's submissions.
Burora’s lawyers insisted that if the prosecutors were not legally prepared, their client should be released.
They suggested that if prosecutor Birivumbuka is unavailable next week, his colleague Ivan Kyazze, who is regularly at Buganda Road Court, should handle the matter instead of remanding Burora for an extended period.
However, Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi ruled that the legality of the charge sheet must first be resolved before proceeding with the case.
Burora was suspended on March 14 by the Secretary to the Office of the President, Hajj Yunusu Kakande, for violating the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders by publicly attacking the Speaker of Parliament.
He was instructed to hand over his office, government vehicle, and any other government property to Ms Doreen Keita, Deputy Resident City Commissioner, Central Division, Kampala.
Burora later used X to rally support for an anti-corruption protest at Parliament on May 23, 2024.
