Mercy Timbitwire, the public relations officer (PRO) for the National Resistance Movement (NRM), has been remanded to Luzira Prison following her arrest for allegedly assaulting a traffic police officer.
Timbitwire was taken into custody on Friday and spent the weekend at Jinja Road Police Station after a video surfaced showing her slapping Officer Charles Makawa. She appeared before Nakawa Chief Magistrate's Court today to face multiple charges.
Prosecutors have brought two separate cases against her. In the first case, Timbitwire, along with Bernadine Abangira, an administrator at Berger Rights Holdings Limited, is accused of stealing two mobile phones valued at Shs 800,000 and an Express Penalty Scheme (EPS) machine worth Shs 14 million, belonging to the Uganda Police Force. The alleged crimes took place at the UMA Showgrounds in Nakawa Division on October 18, 2024. The pair reportedly assaulted Officer Makawa during the incident.
Timbitwire is specifically charged with assaulting Makawa while he was on duty, while Abangira is accused of assisting her in avoiding punishment by acting as an accessory after the fact.
In a second case, Timbitwire faces charges of reckless driving, failure to comply with a police officer, and operating a motorcycle without the required third-party insurance. Prosecutors allege that she recklessly drove a white Toyota Land Cruiser along New Port Bell Road near Makerere University Business School (MUBS) while using her mobile phone.
Both Timbitwire and Abangira have denied all charges before Chief Magistrate Erias Kakooza. State attorney Mariam Kuluthum confirmed that investigations are complete, and the two have been remanded to Luzira Prison until November 4, 2024.
