The Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa has denied bail to Maverick lawyer Male Mabirizi, citing that he does not have a national ID.
Her worship Kidasa further ruled that the sureties presented by the defence had expired national IDs and failed to show proof that they had applied for renewal of the same.
She further noted that one of the proposed sureties, Sebadduka Lukayat, resides outside the court’s jurisdiction, making them unsuitable to stand surety for the accused.
Following the ruling and further remand to Luzira, the head of Mabirizi’s defence and vice president of the Uganda Law Society, Anthony Asiimwe, told media that they attended the bail hearing with littled expectation from Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa since the complainants in the case are Chief Justice Flavian Zeija and Justice Musa Ssekaana.
“You heard what the Chief Justice said at the beginning of the new law year, that he will not tolerate people who attack judicial officers which was really absurd because two days earlier Male Mabirizi had been arrested and the chief justice and Ssekaana are the complainants in this matter” he said.
Asiimwe noted that at the beginning of the trial, Mabirizi asked Magistrate Kidasa to recuse herself from the case due to the bad history between the two.
“We had a conversation with her and she assured us that she will be impartial and not to follow the orders of the chief judge which were given in broad day light, now when you hear the absurdity of the ruling, it’s like these magistrates are creating new law, if you can say that because someone’s national ID, they haven’t provided proof the renewal of their national ID, things that are very clear, I believe even herself, she doesn’t have a renewed national ID if you asked” he said.
Counsel Asiimwe noted that they are now awaiting a High Court hearing on Mabirizi’s bail application, where they had applied in anticipation of tricks by the magistrate’s court.
“The law allows us to file a bail application in the High court, we knew this would happen, we had actually filed an application in the High Court, it’s only pending hearing” he said.
In February, Buganda Road court charged and remanded lawyer Mabirizi over alleged Tik Tok posts targeting Chief Justice Dr Flavian Zeija and Court of Appeal Justice Musa Ssekaana.
Mabirizi faces four counts of Malicious information contrary to Section 28 (1) and (2) of the Computer Misuse Act, Cap 96.
According to prosecution, in the first case, Mabirizi during the month of January, 2026, at various areas in Uganda including Kampala and Wakiso Districts used a computer via Tik Tok account @male.mabirizi, sent, shared or transmitted information about or relating to The Hon. Chief Justice Zeija Flavian, the Chief Justice of Uganda, that he is a con man and fraudster, corrupt, sold off his property to pay a bribe for his appointment as a Principal Judge of Uganda and a court file grabber, whereas not.
Prosecution has further accused Mabirizi of ridiculing, degrading or demeaning Dr Zeija Flavian.
Prosecution further accused Mabirizi of Malicious information contrary to Section 28 (1) and (2) of the Computer Misuse Act, Cap 96 in the third count.
Prosecution stated that Mabirizi during the month of January, 2026, at various areas in Uganda including Kampala and Wakiso Districts or thereabout, using a computer via TikTok account @male.mabirizi, sent, shared or transmitted information about or relating to Hon. Justice Musa Ssekaana, a Justice of Court of Appeal of Uganda, that he is a con man and fraudster, whereas not.
Prosecution further alleged that the information was likely to ridicule, degrade or demean the said Hon. Justice Musa Ssekaana.
