Makindye General Court Martial: State has today pinned the former Bubulo MP Tonny Kipoi over treason charges as the first key witness revealed that he was oscillating between Mbale and Kampala in a bid to overthrow elected government of president Museveni.
Kipoi was arrested in Botswana in February alongside a one Robert Kitali and both were extradited to Uganda in March after reportedly extorting money by posing as a witch doctors.
Before Makindye general court martial chaired by Lt Gen Andrew Guti, state produced the first witness Warrant officer one 071047 Naswagi semahera who is reported to be working in Gulu air forces, revealed that he was introduced to the former legislator by his brother Lt. Col Hussein Mafabi who was at the rank of major that time (2012).
Warrant officer said he was called by his brother to Kampala and brief him about Mr. Kipoi who was currently an MP for Bubulo west saying he wants to be helped in recruiting air force officers among other people to overthrow the then government.
“At first I met Kipoi at Mandela Petro station located on Bombo road and from there we met at various area including his offices that was adjacent to MTN headquarters in Kololo, Ntinda, among other areas,” he said in court.
He told court that he one day at hotel African Kipoi gave him Shs400,000 which he delivered to brother in Kololo however he didn’t establish the purposes of the said funds.
Further said that he held a meeting with Kipoi and two unestablished white men, one man of a Congolese among other people at Bugolobi royal suites however it went down as the Congolese vowed to meet them again to pave way of overthrowing the then government.
He noted as the plans went on he notified the then director of intelligence at Special Forces command (SFC) Maj Mafabi who paved way the culminated into the arrest of Kipoi in 2012 as warrant officer semahera was taken to Kireka based Special Investigation Unit hwere he recorded a statement about the subject matter.
After his submissions, the accused’s layers led by Maj. Ronald Iduli and Capt. Brian Moog asked the witness to produce any form of recordings which include photo that they took during their meetings, audio recordings among other documents.
They tasked him produce phone numbers which he claims that Kipoi used at the time when he communicated to him. “I wrote those numbers in my note book, but I left at home,” Naswagi semahera replied.
However the matter was adjourned to June 12 for further hearing.
Prosecution avers that between November 2012 and December 2013, while in various districts of Masaka, Jinja, Kampala Uganda, and Kipoi convened meetings to recruit soldiers with the intention of overthrowing government.
In 2013, Kipoi was allegedly arrested in Congo and charged with treason however he refuted the claims, saying he had fled the country because of bad governance under President Yoweri Museveni
Former Bubulo West legislator Tony Kipoi Nsubuga is charged alongside five UPDF soldiers: Sgt. Yunus Lemeriga, Sgt. Adams Mawa, Sgt. Albino Okenge, Cpl Rogers Mwiru, and Private Ddodola Ijosiga.
