Jamil Mukulu, the alleged leader of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), returned to court Wednesday for the first time in nearly five years, facing a panel of four judges alongside co-accused Muhammed Matovu and Omar Abudalah Mutuka.
The court session was marked by fierce legal arguments over jurisdiction, extradition terms, and admissibility of charges.
Led by Medard Lubega Ssegona, Mukulu’s legal team urged the court to strike out several charges, arguing that they violate international extradition protocols.
“A person cannot be charged with offences other than those for which they were extradited,” Ssegona told the court, stressing that Mukulu was surrendered by Tanzania on a limited set of charges, yet now faces additional accusations including treason, robbery, and attempted murder.
He further argued that some offences allegedly occurred in Kenya and Tanzania—outside Uganda’s territorial jurisdiction.
“The charge sheet itself shows cross-border elements. Uganda cannot prosecute offences committed elsewhere without proper legal basis,” he said.
The defense also raised torture claims, requesting the court to physically examine Mukulu for scars allegedly sustained during detention. Judges accepted the request, acknowledging the seriousness of the allegations.
Meanwhile, co-accused Omar Mutuka lacked legal representation and submitted an application without an affidavit, prompting judges to consider striking it out.
“If an application has no affidavit, it is not considered,” they ruled.
With the afternoon session expected to resume shortly, the court’s ruling on whether to dismiss or uphold the contested charges could set a significant precedent for Uganda’s handling of extradited suspects and fair trial standards.
The court resumes this afternoon.
Who is Jamil Mukulu?
Jamil Mukulu, born David Steven on April 17, 1964, in Kayunga District, is a Ugandan militant leader and suspected war criminal.
He is the principal founder and former leader of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed Islamist rebel group operating in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mukulu converted from Christianity to Islam and studied in Saudi Arabia, where he was introduced to fundamentalist Islamic ideologies, such as Salafism, leading to his radicalization.
Upon returning to Africa, he became involved in the conflict between the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council and the Tabliq sect, to which he belonged.
In 1991, he and a group of Tabliq militants attacked the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council headquarters in Old Kampala, for which he was imprisoned and later released around 1995.
After his release, Mukulu joined the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU), and following the death of its leader, he helped unify several militant groups to form the ADF, appointing himself as the group's supreme commander.
The ADF has been responsible for numerous bombings, massacres, and other terror attacks in the Congo, killing an estimated 1,000 civilians and displacing over 150,000 others between 1996 and 2001.
Mukulu was arrested in Tanzania in 2015 and extradited to Uganda, where he is currently awaiting trial on charges including murder and crimes against humanity.