By Peter Ssebulime
Kampala: Buganda Road court on Thursday convicted Makerere University professor Dr. Stella Nyanzi after finding her guilty of Cyber Harassment agaisnt the person of the president.
Nyanzi was convicted by Grade one Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu, who however acquitted her of charges of Offensive Communication.
She now faces a fine of Shs1.4 million or imprisonment not exceeding (3) years, although her judgment has been set for tomorrow Friday August 2, 2019.
Several of Nyanzi’s family members, relatives, friends and human rights activists filled Buganda Road Court to capacity as they waited for the ruling.
Among the prominent key opposition figures who attended was Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Women League leader Ingrid Turinawe, Wasswa Birigwa and other FDC party stalwarts.
Court was expected to start at 2:00pm exactly but unfortunately the magistrate was nowhere to be seen. Counsels for both the accused and prosecution were also absent, which delayed the ruling.
After one hour of waiting people started singing the national anthem and Bobi Wine’s ‘Engule’ song as they waited for the magistrate.
Later, the Magistrate waltzed in at a few minutes past 3:00Pm and shortly thereafter made her ruling, which left many of Nyanzi’s supporters dumbfounded.
Nyanzi was arrested in 2018 and charged with among others annoying the Person of the President, Cyber Harassment, Computer Misuse and offensive communication.
It was alleged that she uploaded Facebook posts in which she attacked President Yoweri Museveni and his late mother Kokundeka.
According to prosecutions side, the post was crafted in vulgarity and seemingly targeted the president’s late mother Esteri Kokundeka, especially her September 16 and 18 posts.
