Makindye West Member of Parliament Allan Ssewanyana has been charged again with terrorism. The new charges were read in court, where Justice Komuhangi is handling the case.
He gave both the prosecution and defence lawyers two months to prepare and submit their written arguments. The court is expected to decide on August 26, 2025, whether there is enough evidence to take the case to trial.
Ssewanyana is being represented by lawyers Henry Kunya, Crysostom Katumba, and Nicholas Ssenkumi. On the other side, Chief State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka is representing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
One of the major changes in this new charge sheet is that the late Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya has been removed from the list of the accused.
The charges are related to the brutal machete killings, also known locally as bijambiya, which took place in 2021 and led to the deaths of more than 30 people, with many others injured. The state says MP Ssewanyana either took part in or helped carry out these attacks.
Prosecutors claim that between January and August 2021, in areas like Kampala, Rakai, and Masaka, Ssewanyana—while armed and with the goal of scaring the public for political, social, or religious reasons—was involved in the killing of Mugerwa Kizza, Kakooza Sulaiman, and Kiyimba Tadeo. He is also accused of attempting to kill Sebyoto Ronald, a resident of Ssettaala village.
In a new document prepared by Assistant DPP Lino Anguzu, Ssewanyana is also charged with aiding and abetting terrorism. Prosecutors say he gave money to people, knowing it would be used to carry out terrorist attacks.
However, Judge Komuhangi has stopped Ssewanyana and his co-accused from entering a plea for now. The court must first look at all the evidence presented by the prosecution.
This includes photographs of the people who died, crime scene reports, and statements from witnesses. Only after reviewing this information will the court decide whether the suspects should face trial before a panel of three judges.
