Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court has further remanded Bugweri District LC5 Chairperson Kimark Hamidu and Chris Olego to Luzira Prison over charges of obtaining money by false pretence in a case involving more than Shs3 billion.
The two accused persons appeared before Nakawa Chief Magistrate Esther Nyandoi on Wednesday for mention of the case, with their lawyers indicating that they were ready to apply for bail.
However, the prosecution asked court to adjourn the proceedings, saying it was not ready to respond to the intended bail application because the Police file containing details of the ongoing investigations had not been brought to court.
State Attorney Doreen Elima, who appeared for the prosecution, told court that the matter had been fixed for mention and that the State was unable to comment on the status of the investigations without the Police file.
She asked court to grant the prosecution more time to secure the file and establish the position of the investigations before the matter proceeds.
The request was partly opposed by defence lawyer Umaru Matovu, who said the accused had instructed him to apply for bail and that the prosecution had been notified in advance.
Matovu told court that the documents supporting the bail application had already been uploaded onto the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS).
He argued that the prosecution would suffer no prejudice if court allowed the defence to proceed with the bail application.
The lawyer also raised concerns about the health of the accused persons, telling court that Olego allegedly suffers from a mental illness requiring medical attention, while Kimark also has other health conditions that require treatment.
The defence therefore asked court to allow the bail application to proceed despite the absence of the Police file.
The prosecution, however, maintained that it was not sufficiently prepared to respond to the application.
She further explained that Police files are not ordinarily kept at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions when investigations are still ongoing, as they are returned to Police to facilitate further inquiries.
In this case, she said, the file had been returned to Police and had not yet been brought back to the prosecution.
The prosecutor also told court that she had not had an opportunity to examine the documents the defence said had been uploaded onto ECCMIS and served on the State.
She argued that without the Police file and adequate time to study the documents, she would not be in a position to properly respond to the bail application.
She consequently asked court for more time to allow both parties to adequately prepare, saying this would be in the interest of justice.
In her ruling, Chief Magistrate Nyandoi acknowledged that the accused persons have a right to apply for bail.
However, she observed that readiness to proceed with a bail application depends not only on the presence of the parties in court but also on the availability of the relevant documents required for the court to properly consider the application.
The Chief Magistrate noted that while the defence was represented and had its supporting documents ready, the prosecution had explained that it was not prepared because the prosecutor had only recently returned from leave and did not have the Police file.
She ruled that it would be unfair to compel the prosecution to proceed with the bail application when it did not have the necessary file.
Court consequently adjourned the matter to September 23, 2026, when the parties are expected to return.
Kimark and Olego, who have been on remand at Luzira Prison since August, were further remanded until September 23.
The allegations:
Prosecution alleges that during 2025, at Nanjing Hotel along Lugogo Bypass in Nakawa Division, the accused persons, together with others still at large, obtained Shs592.2 million and US$679,800 from Jiang Cailian alias Nicole, Sales Manager at Grace Textiles International Investments Limited, Comform Uganda Limited and Nice Textiles Uganda Limited
According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly falsely represented that they could help the companies secure a World Vision Uganda tender to supply bedsheets, blankets and mattresses, whereas they had no such capacity.
The accused persons have not yet been convicted of the charges and are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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