Security Beefed Up At Crimes War Division After Top High Court Judge Recuses Herself From ADF Commander’s Terrorism

Justice Suzan Okalany

Security at Wandegeya based Crimes War Division of the High Court has been beefed up after Justice Suzan Okalany recused herself from the pre-trail of the suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) Central Regional Commander Abdallah Musa Kabanda.

Justice Okalany revealed that she cannot preside over a matter in which Kabanda is involved. He further explained that she will be exposing her biases against him because they have their personal issues.

“Kabanda come here, look me straight in the eyes, don’t be shy, I’m telling you, I don’t have any personal issue with you but you know our issue, so I have to recuse myself from your matter, thank you,” Justice Okalany said.

She promised Kabanda that she is going to talk to Justice Andrew Bashaija the head of the Division and the Division Deputy Registrar to make sure that his trial is given priority and heard quickly so that he gets justice.

Justice Okalany’s troubles with Kabanda started in 2015 after the gruesome murder of Joan Namazzi Kagezi who was leading the prosecution of the 2010 bomb suspects, she was replaced with Okalany to boast the remaining prosecution team that included Lino Anguzu and Thomas Jatiko.

During the trial, Kabanda was arrested when he was recording the number plates of the cars used by prosecutors.

However, he was later released.

Justice Okalany said that she cannot sit in a matter where a person was imprisoned for threatening her life.

Kabanda was arrested in 2022 on allegations of recruiting and training young children into ADF from Wakiso district and Luwero.

The judge’s decision comes days after tough security conditions were issued to Court users to access the Court premises.

For any person to be allowed to enter court, they have to first register so that they are given visitor’s card and his movements monitored.

” Security has to be tight, we are handling serious criminals, this is a court handling terrorism charges so we must protect our court staff,” a security personal at Crimes War Division told Grapevine.

He added that security is going to be tightened day by day until next year when they plan to kick off the trial against ADF founding commander Sheikh Jamil Mukulu Kyagulanyi.

Mukulu’s trial is expected to kick off immediately after the trial of the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) Commander Thomas Kwoyero