Court grants Mabirizi mandatory bail after 60 days on remand

What the report says

Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has granted lawyer Male Mabirizi mandatory bail after finding that he had spent more than 60 days on remand before his trial began, according to The Observer. Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa ordered him to pay Shs 2 million cash bail and provide two substantial sureties, each with valid national IDs, for a non-cash bond of Shs 5 million.

The court also imposed conditions requiring Mabirizi to give details of his permanent residence, deposit his passport with court and avoid leaving Uganda without written permission. Mabirizi told court he does not have a passport and said he would challenge that requirement or seek confirmation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Because of that issue, he did not leave prison on Friday despite the bail order. He was also barred from interfering with prosecution witnesses and must attend all future court dates.

Kidasa said the constitutional and statutory rules on mandatory bail left the court with no discretion once the conditions were met. At the same time, she رفضed Mabirizi’s request to dismiss the case for lack of prosecution, saying the absence of complainants at mention hearings did not end the matter. The current case involves three charges tied to TikTok posts allegedly targeting Chief Justice Flavian Zeija and Justice Musa Ssekaana.

The court also ruled that further proceedings should take place in chambers, citing intense social media commentary around the dispute. More broadly, the case reflects ongoing tensions between Mabirizi and the judiciary, including earlier contempt findings and prior litigation that led to the withdrawal of an earlier Computer Misuse Act case.