Today in History: Mwenda Granted Bail After Sedition Arrest

What the report says

Andrew Mwenda, a Ugandan journalist and then presenter at KFM, was granted bail on August 15, 2005, after spending three days in custody on sedition charges, according to Nile Post’s historical recap. His arrest followed comments made on his radio programme about the July 30 helicopter crash that killed Sudanese Vice President John Garang while aboard President Yoweri Museveni’s aircraft.

The report says Mwenda had criticised how the government handled the flight and questioned safety oversight. In response to the broadcast, the Uganda Broadcasting Council ordered KFM closed on August 11, and security forces arrested Mwenda the next day. When he appeared before the Chief Magistrates Court in Kampala, prosecutors said his remarks were intended to stir hostility toward the president.

Mwenda denied the allegation and argued that he was exercising constitutional rights to free expression. Chief Magistrate Deo Nizeyimana set bail at Shs500,000, with five sureties. Mwenda was briefly held while colleagues and Monitor Publications arranged the required processing money, then released later that day.

Nile Post says the case became part of a broader challenge to Uganda’s sedition laws, with Mwenda and Monitor Publications later planning to seek a Constitutional Court review. The episode is often cited in discussions about press freedom and the legal limits placed on journalism in Uganda.