Full Court Session: How Miria Matembe Ended Up To Luzira | DETAILS!

By Swift Reporter

Former Ethics and Integrity Minister Miria Matembe, 73, has been charged with promoting sectarianism and remanded to Luzira Prison after appearing before the Luzira Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Matembe appeared before Grade One Magistrate Sheilla Gloria Atim, where she denied the charge brought against her by the State.

According to the charge sheet, Matembe is accused of promoting sectarianism contrary to Section 38(1)(d) of the Penal Code Act.

Prosecutors allege that during an appearance on DK TV Uganda in June 2026, Matembe made statements that were likely to promote hostility, hatred, or ill will against members of the Banyankole ethnic group.

The prosecution specifically alleges that she stated: “All our taxes are being spent on the Banyankole women ministers,” remarks it contends were capable of inciting hostility against members of the tribe.

Court documents identify Matembe as a businesswoman and resident of Luzira in Nakawa East Division, Kampala.

Following her plea, Matembe’s legal team, led by Uganda Law Society Vice President Anthony Asiimwe, alongside lawyers Samuel Muyizi and Steven Kalali, applied for bail.

The defence argued that Matembe was in poor health and required urgent medical attention, urging the court to grant her bail on humanitarian grounds.

However, Magistrate Atim declined to consider the application, ruling that the defence had not presented any medical evidence to support the claim.

“There is no evidence before court to show that the accused person is unwell,” the magistrate ruled.

The magistrate further noted that it was too late in the day to hear and determine the bail application and adjourned the matter to Wednesday, July 1, 2026, for a formal bail hearing.

“The bail application will be heard tomorrow,” she said before ordering that Matembe be remanded to Luzira Prison.

The ruling means the former minister will spend at least one night on remand pending the court’s decision on her bail application.

Matembe’s prosecution follows her arrest after she reportedly spent two days in hiding following a security raid on her Luzira home. Her family said she initially evaded arrest after receiving a tip-off while on her routine morning jog before she was later tracked down and taken into custody.

A former Minister of Ethics and Integrity and one of the framers of Uganda’s 1995 Constitution, Matembe has in recent years emerged as one of the government’s most outspoken critics, frequently commenting on governance, human rights, constitutionalism, and the role of the military in politics.