Soroti, Uganda – The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Soroti has adjourned the hearing of the case involving Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) President Patrick Amuriat Oboi, Soroti City Woman MP Joan Alobo Acom, Soroti City West MP Jonathan Ebwalu and three other activists to April 28, 2025.
The six, who have been at the center of the “No Cow, No Vote” protest, face 20 charges, including burning public roads and damaging infrastructure, unlawful assembly, obstructing traffic and assaulting a police officer on duty.
The case was previously adjourned on March 12, 2025, by Her Worship Hilda Bakanansa Walaga, who had earlier ruled on a bail application, setting a cash bail of UGX 32 million for all the accused and binding their sureties to UGX 10 million non-cash each.
This decision followed an intense two-day legal battle that has attracted national attention.
The accused, who include FDC mobilizer and political assistant to MP Alobo, Sam Acaitum, FDC activist Sylus Emesu and youth activist Agalamu Albert, were previously remanded to Soroti Government Prison on March 10, 2025, after their initial bail application was blocked by State Attorney Paul Okello due to alleged procedural irregularities.
Prosecution alleges that on March 7, 2025, the accused participated in a disruptive protest in Soroti City, where they reportedly set motorcycle tyres ablaze, threw stones on roads and obstructed traffic, endangering public safety. Some of the charges stem from a previous protest on January 8, 2024, where MPs Ebwalu and Alobo are accused of leading an unlawful assembly.
In the first case concerning burning public roads, the court granted a cash bail of UGX 2 million per accused, while their sureties were bound to UGX 10 million non-cash.
In a separate case involving unlawful assembly and assaulting a police officer, bail was set at UGX 2.5 million for each accused, with similar conditions for sureties. The same amount was applied in the third case linked to the January 2024 protest.
Despite opposition from State Attorney Okello, Magistrate Walaga ruled in favor of the bail applications, stating that the accused had met all legal requirements and presented credible sureties.
Following today’s court session, FDC took to its official X (formerly Twitter) account, declaring that their leaders are being subjected to “trumped-up charges” and confirming the adjournment to April 28, 2025.
The “No Cow, No Vote” movement, which demands full compensation for war claimants in the Teso sub-region, has intensified political pressure on the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government.
In response, the government has acknowledged delays in the compensation process, with Minister Norbert Mao recently confirming that only UGX 30-50 billion has so far been allocated across the Teso, Lango, and Acholi sub-regions.