Novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija will have to stay in Uganda and seek medical treatment from within following a decision by the Buganda Road Magistrates Court not to return his travel documents.
Through his lawyers, Kakwenza had requested that his passport is returned to him so that he could seek medical treatment abroad. Kakwenza is facing charges of offensive communication and was recently released on bail, and one of the conditions of his release was that he deposits his passport at court.
Kakwenza currently bears wounds and scars on his body which he says are a result of the torture he was allegedly subjected to while in the hands of security forces.
Kakwenza’s lawyer Eron Kizza confirmed the news that her client had been denied the passport
“Court declines to release @KakwenzaRukira passport on grounds that our hospitals can handle his condition. We disagree with the decision and the decision on the validity of criminal proceedings against him. We shall challenge them in a higher (High) court,” she wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Besides seeking treatment, Kakwenza also said he was going to attend an event in Germany where he was going to be honoured for his literary work.
The Director of Public Prosecutions through State Attorneys Joan Keko and Ivan Keko said there was no letter from a foreign mission to support Kakwenza’s reequest.
