The General Court Martial in Makindye has decided to dismiss charges against five UPDF soldiers and two police officers who were implicated in allegations of espionage for Rwanda.
During the court session chaired by Brig Mugabe Freeman, the army court prosecutor, Capt Ambrose Guma, informed the court that he had received instructions from the director of criminal prosecutions to withdraw the charges against the accused individuals. Among them were Lt Alex Kasamula from Military Police at Makindye, Lt Phillip Neville Ankunda, a pilot with the Special Forces Command (SFC), Pte Nathan Ndwaine, a flight engineering and maintenance student at Nakasongola Air Defence facility, Pte Moses Asiimwe, an aeroplane mechanical engineer, and Pte Godfrey Mugabi. The police officers involved were ASP Benon Akandwanaho and ASP Frank Sabiiti.
In response, Brig Mugabe accepted the request, stating, “The state has withdrawn charges against you all in the dock and accordingly you are set free.” However, he cautioned that they could face fresh charges if new evidence emerged.
The initial charges against the accused centered on allegations that between February and May 2020, they shared sensitive security information with Rwandan government agents, aiming to undermine Uganda’s security. It was claimed that they operated a Whatsapp group named ‘Nyaruju’ where they exchanged information detrimental to the unity of the UPDF. Despite these accusations, all the defendants pleaded not guilty.
The arrests occurred during a period of strained relations between Rwanda and Uganda.
