SIX YEARS LATER! NUP’S ‘Machete’ & Other Eight Supporters Walk Free After Amnesty

Nine supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP), who have been in military custody since the aftermath of the 2021 general elections, have been granted amnesty by the General Court Martial in Makindye. The amnesty was approved on Friday after the State declined to oppose applications the nine had submitted to the Amnesty Commission.

A panel chaired by Brig. Richard Tukacungurwa ordered that the beneficiaries be handed over to the Amnesty Commission for rehabilitation, counselling and reintegration into their communities in accordance with the Amnesty Act.

Nathan Twinomugisha, the Principal Legal Officer at the Amnesty Commission, was present in court and formally received the beneficiaries on behalf of the Commission.

The nine had been jointly charged with treachery contrary to Section 127(a) of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Act and unlawful possession of ammunition contrary to Section 158(2)(c) of the same law.

According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly operated between March and May 2021 in Kampala Metropolitan areas including Kireka, Nakulabye, Kawempe, Natete and Nakasero, as well as Jinja and Mbale cities, where they were said to have acted as agents of a rebel group identified as “Bali Bali.”

The State alleged that the group recruited members, underwent military-style training and detonated improvised explosive devices targeting government vehicles and other infrastructure in activities considered prejudicial to national security.

Prosecutors further alleged that the accused were found in possession of improvised explosive devices between November 2020 and May 2021 in Kampala, Wakiso, Jinja and Mbale.

The applicants reportedly acknowledged participating in the rebellion and renounced involvement in armed activities, paving the way for their applications under the Amnesty Act.

They were represented by Major Simon Busagwa Nsubuga. The Director of Prosecutions at the Court Martial, Lt. Col. Raphael Mugisha, informed the court that the State had no objection to the applications.

The beneficiaries are Yasin Ssekitoleko, also known as “Machete” (31), Patrick Mwase (27), Sharif Kalanzi (48), Joseph Muwonge (33), Abdalla Kintu (38), Emma Umar Kato (30), Musa Kavuma (26), Jimmy Galukande (26), and Abdallah Hakim Gibusiwa (26).

They will undergo rehabilitation, counselling and reintegration under the Amnesty Commission before returning to their families and communities.

The nine are among dozens of NUP supporters arrested following the disputed 2021 general elections whose cases remained before the Makindye military court for years.

In November 2024, President Yoweri Museveni pardoned 19 of their co-accused after they pleaded guilty before the Court Martial. Those pardoned had been convicted and sentenced by a seven-member panel then chaired by Brig. Robert Freeman Mugabe.

The nine granted amnesty on Friday had remained in custody after declining to plead guilty, maintaining that the charges against them had been fabricated.

The case stemmed from allegations by the Uganda Police Force that the accused had plotted petrol bomb attacks on government vehicles and installations ahead of President Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2021 following his election victory over NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

Police also alleged they were behind attacks on the Kasubi Royal Tombs, the former Jinja Resident City Commissioner Eric Sakwa, the Uganda Registration Services Bureau offices and Katwe Police Station, among other targets.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the then Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), now the Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), and arraigned before the General Court Martial.

Several attempts by the group to secure bail over the years were unsuccessful.

However, NUP has consistently maintained that many of its supporters were wrongfully prosecuted and has alleged that some of those who pleaded guilty did so after prolonged detention and pressure to secure their release.