Novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has raised Shs40 million in less than seven hours to save his sureties from being arrested.
Earlier today (Monday), Kakwenza through his Twitter handle organised a fundraising campaign of Shs40 million so that he could save his four sureties from going to jail.
“My friends who stood surety for me owe court 40m coz I fled the country for my life. It’s upon me now to raise the money and pay court–in respect of summons. I’m looking for 5,000 people who can send UGX8,000 to MTN +256785367367 registered as Kakwenza Rukirabashaija. Thxs,”the satirical writer tweeted.
And within a few hours, the government critic had already raised the required money he requested for.
” I have got UGX40m. Fundraising has been successful. Now waiting for that bespectacled magistrate with fat cheeks & head bereft of the law, to send me the account number to which I’ll make a deposit and save my sureties’ bahookies from sitting in filthy cold jail. THANKS EVERYONE.”
Kakwenza’s move followed the Buganda Road Magistrates Court decision to have his four sureties arrested or pay Shs10 million each having failed to present him in Court.
The sureties include; Lawyer Julius Galisonga, the Secretary-General of the National Unity Platform Party David Lewis Rubongoya, Annah Ashaba, a teacher at Kololo Secondary School and activist Job Kiija. The warrants against the four were issued after Kakwenza’s failure to appear before the court for the second time in a row.
Kakwenza was, on January 25, granted a cash bail of Shs500,000 by the Buganda Road Court, after over a month under detention for offences related to a series of tweets he posted abusing President Yoweri Museveni and his son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Kakwenza fled the country days after his bail. He reportedly settled in Germany.
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