Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Ritah Kidasa Wanyama has dismissed maverick lawyer Male Mabirizi’s application seeking her recusal from presiding over his criminal trial citing biasness against him.
In her ruling, Magistrate Kidasa stated that she was not convinced with Mabirizi’s grounds based on to ask her to recuse herself from his trial insisting that she doesn’t hold any personal grudge against him.
She even promised him fairness.
However, Mabirizi placed her on notice that she is going to challenge her ruling at the High Court noting that he presented self-explanatory grounds to prove that Kidasa has a personal bias against him.
More Read
“Her ruling is empty, and it will overturned by the High Court. I know she is doing all this to settle a score against me but she will pay one day, or her children will pay,” a tough speaking Mabirizi said.
He wondered why Kidasa in her ruling didn’t state anywhere about the private criminal prosecution charges instituted against her and the complaint he filed against her at the Judicial Service Commission seeking her removal from the office of the judicial officer.
Mabirizi also protested Kidasa’s guidance on filing his mandatory bail application via Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) noting that he doesn’t have a computer to use in submitting his application. He pleaded with her to allow him submit it physically in Court.
The Magistrate insisted on her guidance noting that Mabirizi has been represented by a number of lawyers who have been filing numerous applications. She wondered why he is not using them to file his bail application.
She further turned furious and warned Mabirizi to stop making disrespecting statements against her in her Court.
“Mr Mabirizi stop calling me Ritah,” she stated.
“Is Ritah not your name, show me any order or instrument making it criminal to address a presiding judicial officer by his or her personal name,” Mabirizi laughed.
The matter was adjourned to 28th May 2026 after State Prosecutor Grace Army told Court that investigations into the matter are still ongoing.
Mabirizi’s troubles stem from his arrest by police in February after Chief Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija and Court of Appeal judge Musa Ssekaana filed a complaint against him that he used his social media platforms to make insulting and defamatory statements against them including branding them as corrupt and incompetent.
Mabirizi was first charged under the Computer Misuse Act but the charges were dropped after the Constitutional Court declared that the laws under that Act were unconstitutional and violated people’s human rights.
He was immediately charged with another charge of broadcasting through his social media platforms without a license. He has now spent four months on remand after the trial magistrate Kidasa dismissed his bail application on grounds that he presented sureties who had expired national identity cards.
