KAMPALA.
Mavarick City lawyer Eron Kiiza has been granted bail after spending 87 days in behind bars .
Mr Kiiza, as one of the key lawyers in opposition figure Kizza Besigye’s trial before the General Court Martial , was convicted on January 7, 2025, (without trial/hearing) on charges of contempt of court for “banging the angle bars and not listening to the chairman of the court” and sentenced to nine months in prison, which was largely seen as part of the Ugandan regime’s unjust and unlawful mistreatment of whoever tries to challenge it, including lawyers in general.
But Kampala High Court judge Michael Elubu decided to grant him bail after satisfying court that he will abide by the bail rules .
The state had argued that Mr Kiiza was found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to 9 months imprisonment in accordance with Sections 169 (1)(g) and 211(9) of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Act, Cap 330.
“That the applicant being an advocate of the courts of law ought to have known about court decorum and acted in the manner expected of his standing in order to protect the dignity of the court process and his conviction reflects the need to protect the court process and underscores the necessity for a restrictive stance on bail in such matters to protect the integrity and decorum of court processes,” the Director of Public Prosecution P contended .
Kiiza ,41 is a Ugandan poet, lawyer, and environmentalist. He is the co-founder of Kiiza & Mugisha Advocates and CEO of the Environment Shield Limited