Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | City licensed professional Hassan Male Mabirizi will employ beyond regular time on remand at Luzira Penal advanced after the Prosecution requested overtime to ascertain the sureties supplied in his bail application. Mabirizi is facing charges of malicious verbal replace and hate speech linked to alleged TikTok posts focusing on Chief Justice Flavian Zeija and Court of Enchantment Justice Musa Ssekaana.
The matter came up earlier than Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa on Wednesday. Via his lawyers, Anthony Asiimwe and Yasin Ssentumbwe Munagomba, Mabirizi applied for bail, mentioning that he has a mounted web relate online of situation in Kiwomu Zone, Mulago. He supplied four sureties, including Attorney Nasser Kibazo, his sister Rukiat Ssebadduka, his brother Ismeal Nsereko, and poultry farmer Coas Mbaziira.
The defence asked the court to grant non-money and lenient bail terms, arguing that Mabirizi has no passport and is therefore no longer a flight threat. They additionally renowned that his earnings modified into once disrupted following an 18-month imprisonment he served after a 2022 conviction. On the alternative hand, the Prosecution, led by Chief Enlighten Attorneys Richard Birivumbuka and Joan Keko, told the court they’d most efficient got the bail paperwork on February 13 and had no longer had enough time to ascertain the sureties.
Birivumbuka humorously remarked that the next day modified into once Valentine’s Day, making it mighty to acknowledge promptly, prompting defence lawyers to counter that Valentine’s Day isn’t any longer a public vacation and must no longer extend whisper accountability. In her ruling, Magistrate Kidasa mentioned that though Mabirizi has a constitutional staunch to appear at for bail, the Prosecution deserve to be given time to substantiate the credibility of his guarantors.
She declined to grant intervening time bail, noting that releasing him earlier than verification could well be illogical. The court granted the Prosecution till February 27, 2026, to ascertain the sureties. Mabirizi modified into once remanded till the same date. Prosecution alleges that using his TikTok address @male.mabirizi, Mabirizi shared recordsdata describing Chief Justice Zeija as a conman, fraudster, spoiled estimable, and any individual who allegedly sold property to stable an appointment as Main Desire.
The whisper argues that the statements were flawed and intended to ridicule or demean the Chief Justice. Identical allegations were allegedly made towards Justice Ssekaana, with the prosecution mentioning Mabirizi shared claims portraying him as a conman and fraudster.
On January 27, 2022, Justice Ssekaana — then head of the Excessive Court Civil Division — fined Mabirizi UGX 300 million for contempt of court following social media attacks on Justice Phillip Odoki. This adopted Odoki’s dismissal of Mabirizi’s application searching out out to cease the Capital Markets Authority from extending the MTN IPO window and itemizing shares on the Uganda Securities Trade.
The Attorney Overall successfully applied for contempt complaints, ensuing in a blinding and a warning towards extra attacks on judicial officers. Mabirizi later served an 18-month prison sentence linked to persevered on-line criticism of judicial officers, including fabric he shared originating from exiled standard Uganda Rules Society President Isaac Kimaze Ssemakadde.
At the 2025 New Rules Year opening, then Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo described abusive attacks towards Justice Ssekaana as amongst the gravest incidents witnessed at some stage in his tenure. The dispute has since contributed to ongoing tensions between sections of the marvelous fraternity and the Judiciary.
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