Song of Defiance Echoes Through Uganda as Eron Kiiza’s 20m Bail Riles many
🚨 A Price Too High: The Politics Behind Eron Kiiza’s Bail While Kiiza has since been released on bail, the court’s exorbitant financial demands are being widely interpreted as a strategic deterrent to other fearless legal minds challenging state abuses. Many are asking: Is bail now a tool of repression rather than justice? Civic organizations, political figures, and fellow lawyers have condemned the move as “economic incarceration.” “Bail should not be a privilege of the rich, nor should it be weaponized to punish activists who dare to speak out,” said a statement from the Uganda Law Society's reform caucus.
Uganda Today Edition: Song of Defiance Echoes Through Uganda as Eron Kiiza’s 20m Bail Riles many
By Uganda Today News Desk
In what observers have described as a desperate act to silence a persistent legal activist, the recently disbanded Uganda Court Martial tribunal slapped human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza with a nine-month prison sentence—a ruling now on hold following the granting of a staggeringly exorbitant 20 million cash bail. Legal minds and civic voices across Uganda have decried the amount as a direct affront to justice and a veiled punishment in disguise.
But amid the court’s silence and increasing government criticism, the voice of the common man has risen—in song.
🎤 Masaka’s Voice of the People: Kyambadde’s Song Hits a Chord
From the heart of Masaka, a local singer and civic activist known as Kyambadde has composed a powerful Luganda protest ballad that is already making waves across Buganda and beyond. The emotionally charged composition lambasts the military tribunal for what he terms “Kya Nsonyi nti abantu baffe abyobufuzi bakozesa ebyamateeka okuwamba obwenkanya mu Kitongole ekiramuzi” (our collective shame, showing how politics has hijacked justice).
The song painstakingly chronicles injustices Ugandans have suffered at the hands of security agencies—from extrajudicial arrests, torture, and arbitrary detentions to the erosion of civilian judicial authority through military interference.
In soaring lyrics, Kyambadde openly praises human rights defenders and democracy champions including:
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Chief Justice Owiny Dollo – for upholding the rule of law in the face of executive interference.
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Kyagulanyi Robert Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) – for inspiring a generation of conscious youth.
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Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago – for his fearless legal representation of victims of political persecution.
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Retired Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye – the “father of Ugandan resistance politics.”
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Lawyer Martha Karua – for her Pan-African solidarity and principled stance on democracy.
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Michael Kabaziguruka – celebrated as the petitioner behind the Supreme Court ruling that finally clipped the wings of the military tribunal overreach.
⚖️ A Court in Question: Martial Tribunal Declared Unconstitutional
In a landmark decision recently delivered by Uganda’s Supreme Court, the country’s infamous military court—often accused of targeting civilians and opposition figures—was deemed unconstitutional in its application to civilians. The ruling, hailed by many legal experts as a major democratic milestone, effectively dismantled the tool long used by the regime to instill fear.
Yet, in a bizarre twist of irony, lawyer Eron Kiiza was sentenced by the same tribunal earlier before this ruling had been handed down. The absurdity has not gone unnoticed.
🚨 A Price Too High: The Politics Behind Eron Kiiza’s Bail
While Kiiza has since been released on bail, the court’s exorbitant financial demands are being widely interpreted as a strategic deterrent to other fearless legal minds challenging state abuses. Many are asking: Is bail now a tool of repression rather than justice?
Civic organizations, political figures, and fellow lawyers have condemned the move as “economic incarceration.”
“Bail should not be a privilege of the rich, nor should it be weaponized to punish activists who dare to speak out,” said a statement from the Uganda Law Society’s reform caucus.
🔊 Cultural Resistance Through Song
The release of Kyambadde’s song marks a growing trend of using art as a tool for political commentary and grassroots resistance. Social media platforms are already flooded with shares, duet challenges, and calls for a national performance in solidarity with Uganda’s silenced defenders.
As legal battles rage on in courtrooms, it seems the true trial is happening in the hearts of ordinary Ugandans—where the melodies of justice refuse to be muted.
Published by www.ugandatoday.co.ug, your trusted source for news and analysis
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