Kampala – Prisons authorities have revealed that right procedures were followed during the release of Members of Parliament Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye west) and Muhammad Ssegirinya (Kawempe North) from Kigo prison last week.
The two legislators were on Monday last week granted a cash bail of Shs20m each by Masaka court after spending 17 months on remand.
But after their release, their lawyers led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago criticized prison authorities for releasing the duo before signing court bonds.
However, Frank Baine, Uganda Prisons spokesperson says due process was followed in releasing the two MPs.
During a joint security press briefing at police headquarters in Nagulu on Monday, Baine explained that Ssegirinya and Ssewanyana were released after receiving three important documents that included the release order from court, bail documents and receipts confirming payment of bail money.
“The moment the Officer in Charge was satisfied that those documents were authentic even if they were sent electronically, he had no reason to keep these people in prison because there’s no law which says Prisons must hand over the prisoners to their lawyers or relatives. All we are required to do is escort the person who has met the court conditions to the boundaries of prisons and what happens thereafter is none of our business,” noted Beine
“It’s unfortunate that by the time the learned friends and relatives came, these people had gone but for us we followed the due process and it shouldn’t be the lawyers complaining that we released their people, it should be the court if it wasn’t satisfied with what we did,” he added.
MPs Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya are accused of murder, attempted murder, aiding and abetting terrorism stemming from the 2021 spate of killings in Masaka and Lwengo districts of Greater Masaka region. In the wave of murders, unknown assailants using machetes killed over 20 people in the area.
