Agency
Masaka Grade I Magistrate Abdullah Kyazze has remanded Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira to Masaka Main Prison until January 22, 2026, following his first court appearance after more than three weeks in military detention.
Fr. Ssekabira, 46, curate at Bumangi Parish in Kalangala District and head of charitable programs for vulnerable children, appeared before the Masaka Magistrate’s Court on charges of money laundering involving approximately UGX 500 million.
The charge sheet alleges that between 2023 and 2025, Fr. Ssekabira and accomplices, still at large, concealed the true ownership of funds suspected to be proceeds of crime, transacted through the Centenary Bank Masaka branch.
Due to the high monetary value involved, Magistrate Kyazze ruled that his court lacked jurisdiction over the matter and could not hear a bail application.
He remanded the priest to prison pending the next mention.
Andrew Lule, Masaka Diocesan lawyer representing Fr. Ssekabira, told journalists that they plan to urgently apply for a production warrant from the High Court to file a formal bail application ahead of the scheduled January 21 hearing, noting that money laundering is a bailable offense.
