A scheduled court appearance turned into a political showdown when Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura, Ingrid Turinawe and others refused to attend court today citing restrictions imposed by prison authorities on their attire.
The accused currently in detention were reportedly barred from wearing T-shirts with political slogans a move they condemned as an attack on their freedom of expression.
The standoff has sparked heated debate over whether the prison authorities’ decision was a legal necessity or a political tactic aimed at silencing dissent.
Legal representatives for the detainees argue that there is no law prohibiting detainees from expressing political views through clothing and that the refusal to let them appear in court in their chosen attire violates their rights.
Sources close to the detainees claim they were statements criticizing the government. By barring them from wearing these shirts, prison authorities effectively censored their political message fueling allegations of state suppression.
Hon. Ssemujju Nganda a vocal opposition figure, weighed in on the issue questioning why the judiciary is tolerating such blatant political interference in court proceedings.
“This is not about clothing. It’s about control,” he said. “If the state can dictate what detainees wear to court, what else can it control?”
With the accused refusing to attend proceedings under what they call “oppressive conditions”, the court now faces a legal dilemma.
As tensions rise, today’s courtroom standoff underscores a bigger battle one between state power and individual freedoms.
