Nsangi Magistrate’s Court Releases Woman Arrested on Expired Warrant Following Spy Uganda Exposure

By Spy Uganda Investigations Desk

Kampala, Uganda – In a twist of events following a damning exposure by TheSpy Uganda, the Nsangi Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday released city businesswoman Joyce Nambajwe on cash bail of Shs1 million. The release comes after the court came under intense scrutiny for arresting and remanding the woman based on an expired arrest warrant, sparking outrage from the public and legal experts alike.

Two weeks ago, this investigative website broke a story that shocked many Ugandans, detailing how Ms. Nambajwe was forcefully arrested by officers from Nsangi Police and remanded by the court, despite the arrest warrant having long expired. The most harrowing part of the incident was that the businesswoman’s two nursery-school-going children were left home alone for days, unattended to and vulnerable, as their mother was whisked away  from her work place in Kampala City, without any provision for their care. “They never even allowed me to talk to my relatives to ask for their assistance to rich home for my children.A neighbor realized I had returned for a whole night then decided to look after the children as she sought for me,” Joyce told our reporter.

Even more troubling was the revelation from our investigations that the arrest warrant had been issued without prior summons being served—a blatant departure from standard legal procedures. According to Uganda’s criminal justice system, arrest warrants are typically issued only after a suspect fails to respond to court summons. In this case, however, no such summons had ever been issued to Ms. Nambajwe. On the day the magistrate was demanding her to prison,she also asked the court orderly whether she ever issued the summons or not having failed to trace them on the file. Although the court orderly answered that they were not on record,the magistrate went ahead and remanded her anyway. This meant that Joyce had not been served with summoned which now warrant and arrest warrant having failed to respond.

Legal analysts who weighed in on the case labeled the court’s actions as “procedural abuse” and “an affront to justice,” sparking wider conversations about judicial accountability, especially at lower court levels. Public sentiment was further inflamed by the reckless handling of the businesswoman’s minor children during her arrest.

Faced with mounting criticism and after our detailed investigative report poked glaring holes in the entire process, the court decided to release Nambajwe last Wednesday on Shs1 million cash bail. Though temporarily free, the ordeal has left her traumatized and raises serious concerns over the conduct of judicial officers and law enforcement in Nsangi.

Her lawyer Dan Rugarama, when contacted for a comment, he first declined to talk to our reporter but later said;”Owaye, in Ugandan courts,we lawyers see alot and stomach a lot my brother. By the way this is nothing compared to what I have been through with my other clients, Uganda needs prayers ”

As pressure mounts for transparency and reform, human rights activists and civil society organizations are now calling on the Judicial Service Commission to probe the incident and hold the responsible officers to account.

This story remains under active investigation, and TheSpy Uganda will continue to follow up until justice is not only done—but seen to be done.