The Kanyanya Magistrate’s Court in Kawempe Division has denied bail to Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro. The deputy spokesperson of the National Unity Platform will therefore not be able to attend the burial of his wife Edith Katende Mufumbiro. Mufumbiro who is also an aspirant for Nakawa East Member of Parliament has been on remand and had […]
The Kanyanya Magistrate’s Court in Kawempe Division has denied bail to Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro. The deputy spokesperson of the National Unity Platform will therefore not be able to attend the burial of his wife Edith Katende Mufumbiro.
Mufumbiro who is also an aspirant for Nakawa East Member of Parliament has been on remand and had repeatedly applied for bail while his wife battled terminal cancer. Court declined the requests several times.
Katende died in the early hours of Wednesday April 8 2026 while her husband was still in custody.
Following her death Mufumbiro made a humanitarian appeal through his lawyers asking court to temporarily release him so he could pay his last respects and support his grieving children.
Speaking after the ruling Mufumbiro’s lawyer Samuel Muyiizi criticized the court for what he described as a lack of compassion in extraordinary circumstances.
Muyiizi said the request had been based on humanitarian grounds because the deceased had wished to see her husband before burial.
“We had pleaded for kindness and benevolence from the court in the special circumstances that the applicant lost his dear wife. He was only pleading for temporary relief to enable him to bury his wife in accordance with the dying declaration of his wife who wished for him to be by her side in her last moments while alive and before the burial,” Muyiizi said.
He said the court ruled that it did not have the constitutional mandate or discretion to release the accused on temporary bail.
“This court has said it does not have the constitutional mandate. It does not have the discretion. This court does not have the benevolence. It does not have the kindness. It does not have the compassion to release him on bail because of the political nature of the case before it which it deems serious in nature,” he said.
Muyiizi said although the defence was disappointed they were not surprised by the decision.
“We thought this was one of the rare moments that the judiciary had to redeem itself before the public,” he said.
The lawyer also accused the court of limiting public access to the proceedings.
He claimed the session was initially conducted on Zoom and that the link was disconnected when it became accessible to the public.
“First they appeared through Zoom with a link which had to be public. When they realized it was public they disconnected it. Secondly they denied the public to attend,” Muyiizi said.
He added that the defence team believes the decision reflects political influence rather than an independent judicial process.
“So it is justice hidden. Justice denied in a kangaroo way. It is not by the rule of law but by political directions which we believe are instructions to this court,” he said.
Muyiizi said the legal team will now proceed to represent Mufumbiro at the burial.
“We have been denied the permission for him to bury his wife. Let us go and represent him in this burial,” he said.
