KAMPALA – A witness in the cyber harassment case against the jailed Makerere University Researcher Dr. Stellah Nyanzi has advised her to refrain from vulgarities and the use of obscene language.
Mr. Charles Dalton Opwonya 63, a High Court advocate and also a representative of the Uganda Law Society (ULS) on the Pornographic Control Committee in the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity appeared in court on Tuesday 18 as the second prosecution witness.
Mr. Opwonya also declined to swear in with a Bible, saying it is a sin.
He refused to follow the norm in court where a witness is expected to testify under oath in order to prove that whatever he or she is saying is the whole truth and not lies.
While presenting his evidence, Mr Opwonya told Buganda Road court presided over by Grade one magistrate Ms Gladys Kamasanyu that he logged onto 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 a 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 during cross-examination that were put to him by Nyanzi.
He has however throughout his testimony condemned the use of vulgar words in Nyanzi’s poems saying that they are against our culture.
Nyanzi has been in jail at Luzira prison for more than eight months now having landed in trouble in September 2018 when she posted a loutish poem on her official Facebook page, in which she allegedly attacked 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 celebrated his birthday disturbed his peace; henceforth charging Nyanzi with offensive communication.
