By Mulengera Reporters
In a bid to discredit the prosecution witnesses while making them to feel worthless, Quarish Ssegirinya Yasiin Lubowa, the 30-year-old Kisekka market mechanic who was charged with vandalism and theft of telecom equipment (generator parts etc) spent much of the year 2025 making people laugh at his funny questions as he cross-examined witnesses.
Prosecution, comprising of prosecutors from UCC, brought many witnesses (including police officers, security guards deployed to secure such ATC telecom tower sites, security managers like Deo Kikomeko from Rwenzori House-based ATC headquarters etc) all of whom made and corroborated the case against Ssegirinya, who otherwise is naturally very comical. Each time any of them completed giving evidence, Quarish was permitted to cross examine them.
All this evidence by prosecution was aimed at convincing the Court that Quarish is the man the ATC security patrol team members caught red-handed at the Namakonkome site busy vandalism the telecom equipment, targeting the generator house, whose spare parts he intended to run away with to sell them as scrap and for several other purposes.
The incident happened past mid-night of that day (11th May) and Quarish, who allegedly was with others still at large, got severely injured as he tried to scale or jump over the wall enclosing the generator shelter and the entire mast site. Even exhibits of the things he was caught in possession of, having gotten them after vandalizing the generator shelter, were exhibited in Court and evidence given about them.
Quarish, who at some point signalled Court to readiness to plead guilty but later on changed his mind and chickened out, has now been found by the Magistrate to be having a case to answer. The accused person, who initially had lied about his names to prevent the trial Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu from recollecting that this is the same man she had previously sentenced to a two-year jail sentence, will soon be commencing on his defence.
This prior conviction and sentencing happened when the Utilities Court was still operating at Buganda Road, before relocating to Makindye. Quarish, who had only been released back to community barely three months earlier, allegedly repeated the same offence on the night of 11th May.
So, having heard and listened to all witnesses while observing their demeanour, Her Worship Gladys Kamasanyu during the Court session of Monday 22nd December proclaimed that from the prosecution witnesses and the evidence given thus far, a prima farcie case had been made out and that the accused person has a case to answer.
Quarish was told he must prepare to start on his defence whereby he is even free to call in witnesses to help him contradict the Magistrate’s finding and holding that the prosecution had effectively placed him on crime scene. Comical as always, Quarish said he had spent the four days preceding his Monday 22nd December court appearance praying inside Luzira but it seems God never heard his prayers.
Quarish, who is legally unrepresented and is therefore his own lawyer, caused laughter in Court when he said he was now confused on how to proceed on his defence because all the witnesses he intended to call to contradict the prosecution’s case are actually the very people who are the complainants (basically ATC people and who had already testified for the prosecution). Some of them were physically present on the crime scene at Namakonkome on the midnight of 11th May when he was harvested.
The last Court appearance was three days to Christmas day and Quarish dared the Magistrate demanding that she buys them chicken which he said they would improvise and find away to slaughter and have it cooked inside Luzira-so that they too can have a good Christmas.
He also demanded that H/W Kamasanyu creates time to visit them in Luzira on Christmas day and see for herself the miserable life they live while inside the prison. Used to joking with almost every accused person being prosecuted before her, Kamasanyu merely laughed off the request while insisting that Quarish concentrates on preparing for his defence ahead of the subsequent Court hearing sessions. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
