Do not politicise bail, Oulanyah tells MPs

The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah has dissuaded Members of Parliament against politicising the granting or denying of bail, saying it is improper.

This followed Kira Municipality Memeber of Parliament Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda’s argument that the the denial of bail to MPs Allan Ssewanyana (NUP, Makindye West) and Muhammad Ssegirinya (NUP, Kawempe North) by the High Court in Masaka on Monday was at the behest of President Museveni.

The two MPs are facing charges of Murder, attempted murder, and terrorism

Ssemujju said that President Museveni has been making comments against the granting of bail to those charged with capital offences saying this could have effected the denial of bail to the two MPs.

“These two colleagues (Ssegirinya and Ssewanyana) have been denied bail because the head of state has been threatening everyone that he wants them [incarcerated MPs] in prison yet they were granted bail,” he said.

Speaker Oulanyah, an advocate, said in legal practice, bail is deniable as it is grantable.

“One time as an advocate, I applied for bail three times; It is constitutional to grant bail, it is also constitutional to deny bail…let’s not politicise these matters,” he said.

This comes at a time when debate on reported amendments to restrict the granting of bail in cases where the accused persons are charged with capital offences.

President Museveni’s attempt to get the NRM caucus to buy into the proposal early this month failed, when majority ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs rejected the proposal.

However, there are fresh calls to have the legal processes to amend the Constitution and the Penal Code Act to accommodate the sentiments against the granting of bail to capital offenders until the lapse of 180 days.

Opposition MPs are opposed to the President Museveni’s views on bail.