KAMPALA – Buganda Road chief magistrate’s court has on Wednesday 26 heard that the embattled former Makerere University researcher Dr Stella Nyanzi is going to present 20 witnesses for her defense.
Dr. Nyanzi who is facing charges of cyber harassment said that among her witnesses include; President Museveni, Ms. Grace Akullo the Director CID Uganda Police Force and many scholars.
Last week prosecution closed its case with the last witness Mr. Charles Dalton Opwonya 63, a High Court advocate and also a representative of the Uganda Law Society on the pornographic control committee in the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity.
The prosecution presented only two witnesses to pin Dr Nyanzi.
As the court norms where a witness is supposed to testify under oath in order to prove that whatever he or she is saying is the whole truth and not lies, Mr. Opwonya declined claiming that swearing with a Bible is a sin.
While giving his evidence in chief, Mr. Opwonya told Buganda Road court presided over by Grade one magistrate Ms. Gladys Kamasanyu that he visited Facebook on September 21, 2018, on a memorial day for his deceased wife but he was only shocked to find an obscene post that had been written and posted by Nyanzi.
“I used to hold Nyanzi in high level in regard as a senior researcher but when he Saw her publically stripping naked at Makerere University and on top of writing disgusting poems, I lost all the respect I had for her,” Mr. Opwonya testified.
Mr Opwonya who claims to have reported the alleged obscene matter to the OC CID Kampala Metropolitan Kampala has however faced a tough time answering questions in cross-examination that were put to him by Nyanzi.
He however throughout his testimony condemned the use of vulgar words in Nyanzi’s poems as against to culture.
Nyanzi has been in jail at Luzira prison, for now, more than eight months having landed in trouble in September 2018 when she posted a loutish poem on her official Facebook while allegedly attacking the privacy of president Museveni and that of her late mother Esteri Kokundeka.
According to prosecution, the said poem which was posted a day after president Museveni celebrating his birthday disturbed his peace; henceforth charging Nyanzi with offensive communication.
