Overview:
Ochieng argued that bail is discretionary and urged the court to release Chelimo on reasonable terms. He noted that Chelimo has a fixed place of abode and has been in detention since his arrest in 2022.
Former Bukwo District LC5 Chairperson, Julius Chelimo, who is facing another set of defilement charges, has applied for bail before the International Crimes Division of the High Court. Chelimo’s bail application was presented by his lawyer, Evans Ochieng, before Justice Richard Wejuli Wabwire on Friday. The court chose to first hear the bail application before proceeding with the main trial.
Ochieng argued that bail is discretionary and urged the court to release Chelimo on reasonable terms. He noted that Chelimo has a fixed place of abode and has been in detention since his arrest in 2022. He added that the doctrine of consistency should guide the court, highlighting that the proposed sureties had previously been accepted in another related matter presided over by Justice Duncan Gaswaga.
Three sureties were presented in support of the bail application: Musanya Alex Jenjje, 70, Chairperson of the Bukwo District Service Commission and a former head teacher; William Chepkutwo, 73, Chelimo’s father and retired LC3 Councillor; and Dismas Yeko, 37, an Assistant Education Officer in Bukwo District. The prosecution opposed the bail application.
Senior State Attorney Marion Ben Bella relied on affidavits sworn by Detective AIP Nazarius Ashaba Mukama, an investigating officer, and Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Thomas Jatiko. She argued that the primary consideration under the Trial on Indictments Act is whether an applicant is likely to abscond. Ben Bella noted that an accused must demonstrate exceptional circumstances, such as grave illness, advanced age, infancy, or a certificate of no objection from the prosecution.
Although Chelimo submitted medical forms detailing his health history, the prosecution argued there was no evidence showing that his condition could not be managed in prison. The prosecution further questioned Chelimo’s claim of a fixed abode, noting that he relied on a general letter from the LC1 instead of a formal certificate of title. The court was also informed that Chelimo has a pending case at Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court, reference E/0053/2025, concerning alleged unlawful possession of a firearm. Two co-accused in that matter have already been convicted and are serving sentences.
Ben Bella highlighted Chelimo’s past involvement with the Uganda Saving Force (USF), noting that he and 20 others were granted amnesty in April 2016 after being presented to President Yoweri Museveni. Despite this, the prosecution alleged Chelimo continued criminal activities, including absconding after being granted bond in 2022 and allegedly facilitating the escape of the complainant from Kibuli CID headquarters.
The prosecution also pointed out threats against witnesses, including individuals identified only as Alinga and Mangusho. Some proposed sureties had also been arrested over an alleged cattle theft involving witnesses. Questions were raised about the financial capacity of the sureties to meet bond obligations, and discrepancies between their local council letters and national ID cards complicated traceability.
Justice Wabwire is yet to rule on the bail application. Earlier, in January 2026, Justice Duncan Gaswaga acquitted Chelimo of charges of aggravated defilement and aggravated child trafficking involving a 16-year-old schoolgirl. The prosecution had alleged that on October 21, 2022, Chelimo sexually assaulted the minor at his home in Cairo Village, Chepkwatsa Sub-county, Bukwo District, after she was allegedly trafficked there by her uncle, Joshua Kwemoi, in exchange for money. Similar defilement charges and the pending firearm case keep Chelimo in custody.
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