Former Deputy RCC Burora Released On Bail

Former Rubaga Deputy Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Herbert Anderson has been released on bail.

The NRM cadre was released on Shs 5 million cash bail. Similarly, a Shs 50 million non-cash bail for the sureties was decided by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court.

Burora, who was charged with hate speech and spreading malicious information against the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has been in state custody for over three weeks.

He was arrested on July 2, 2024, after Police besieged his residence in Kiwatule, a Kampala suburb. Since then, he has appeared in court multiple times seeking bail unsuccessfully. This was even after his legal team consistently accused the prosecution of not being clear on the charges against their client.

The defense team contested the legality of the initial charge sheet, arguing that it was defective because it did not specify the exact statements allegedly made against Speaker Anita Among.

Speaking to the press after the court session, Burora’s lead lawyer, David Kamukama, faulted the state prosecutors for delaying the judicial process.

“The state raised several grounds, much of them were not substantiated. What was very important today was his [Burora’s] freedom. We shall handle the rest of the concerns as they come.” said David Kamukama.

Burora Herbert’s woes

At the beginning of the year, a number of digital activists from Agora and Public Square launched an online exhibition of Parliament. This exhibition unearthed abnormal expenditures of money by Parliament. This included the Shs 1.7 billion service awards given to Parliamentary Commissioners.

Another abnormal expenditure was the unexplained Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) withdrawals by Parliamentary Staff.Following this exhibition, Burora launched his criticism of how Speaker Anita Among runs Parliament.

Through his account on X, formerly Twitter, Burora accused the Speaker of acting with impunity and corruption.

Following over a month of this, Burora was suddenly fired from his role as Deputy RCC. He attributed his dismissal to the Speaker fighting him for his activism.