Sheikh Ponda

A police officer has told Resident Magistrate Sundi Fimbo of Kisutu Resident Magistrate court that he found the accused Abdul Selemani with five leaflets, one of which had Arabic words and the rest were written in Kiswahili.

Mohamed who is the third witness in a case facing 54 people in connection with a demonstration aimed at forcing the release of Sheik Ponda, claimed that among the Kiswahili leaflets, one read ‘DPP mfumo wa Ukristo utakuponza, Serikali msiwe na tabia ya ndimu hatusikilizani mpaka tukamuane’.

The phrase meant that the Christian system will jeopardize the DPP; the government should not adopt the ‘lemon habit’, by not listening to them unless squeezed. Led by State Attorney Nasoro Katuga, Mohamed claimed that when he was on patrol together with inspector Zuhura, the latter told him she had been informed of a Muslim group organising themselves to demonstrate in a bid to put pressure on the DPP to withdraw the certificate which disqualifies Ponda from being bailed out.

He said inspector Zuhura ordered them (police) to go and disperse them to prevent the march, but when they arrived they saw a group of more than 25 people who had already been stopped by other police officers.

Inspector Zuhura took a loudspeaker and ordered them to disperse immediately as they were unlawfully assembled, threatening that the law would be enforced.

Mohamed further narrated that some of the protesters obeyed while about 15 refused whom Inspector Zuhura ordered to be arrested.

They are charged with four counts one of which is conspiring to commit an offence, intent to carry out common purpose assembly in a manner which caused breach of peace and tranquility.

The third count is having engaged in a riot ignoring the proclamation issued by police prohibiting unlawful assembly and in the last count Salum Makame, Said Iddy and Ally Nandumi are charged with inciting other member of the public to make unlawful procession by distributing leaflets/ placards that intended to cause other people to participate in an unlawful assembly.

The accused Makame, Iddy and Nandumi were ordered to stay in remand because DPP produced a certificate under section 148(4) of the Criminal Procedure Act cap 20 as amended in 2002 which prohibited bail for them, while the other 51 accused were denied bail until the situation returns to normal.