Bobi Young remaded, his co-accused convicted

Two Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers charged with National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi’s bodyguard Anthony Agaba have been convicted.

Agaba alias Bobi Young, 29, is battling charges of spreading harmful propaganda against the Government of Uganda.

The charge contravenes Sections 137 (1) of the UPDF Act, 2005 and attracts a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, upon conviction.

Bobi Young, however, denied the charge, but his co-accused L/CPL Apollo Bigirwa, 41, attached to the 2nd Division Infantry Guard Battalion in Mbarara district and Private Stuart Nuwahereza, 33, attached to the 3rd Division Battalion in Karamoja were convicted after they acknowledged prosecution’s brief facts regarding the case.

“This court convicts you Bigirwa and Nuwahereza on your own plea of guilty. I, therefore, remand you back to Makindye Military Quarter Guard until February 21, 2023, when you will be returned to this court for sentence,” GCM chairman Brig. Gen Freeman Mugabe told the convicts.

He, however, instructed prison officers to take back Bobi Young to Luzira Prisons until March 6, 2023, when he will be returned to court for mention of his case.
Brief facts

Prosecutors led by Lt. Alex Mukhana told court that on or around January 17, 2023, Bigirwa self-recorded an audio on his phone spreading ill and false statements against the Defence Forces and the Government of Uganda and thereafter shared the same through his WhatsApp platform on contact 0702254510 to different contacts.

“On or around the same day, Private Nuwahereza who had also received the said audio on his WhatsApp platform on contact 0788788712, went ahead and shared the same audio with different contacts through social media,” Mukhana told the court.
Lenient sentence 

However, defence lawyers led by Captain Nsubuga Busagwa invited the court to accord the convicts lenient sentence, saying they readily pleaded guilty, didn’t waste court’s time and that they were first-time offenders.