Kampala businessman and socialite Bryan Kirumira, widely known as Bryan White, has been granted mandatory bail by the High Court in Kampala after spending 293 days in custody without his case being committed for trial.
In a ruling delivered on September 4, 2026, Justice Gadenya Paul Wolimbwa found that Kirumira had exceeded the constitutional limit of 180 days that an accused person can be held on remand for an offence triable only by the High Court — surpassing that limit by 113 days. The judge held that the constitutional right to bail is triggered by the passage of time itself, regardless of which party caused the delay in committal, and rejected the prosecution’s argument that committal proceedings were already underway.
Kirumira is jointly charged before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court with four co-accused — including his wife, Naava Nakato, and three others — on six counts. The charges include aggravated human sacrifice, manslaughter, rash and negligent acts, possession of a narcotic drug, conspiracy to commit a felony, and giving false information.
Kirumira was arrested on November 13, 2025, and had been held at Upper Prison, Luzira, since then.
As conditions of his release, the court ordered Kirumira to:
- Deposit Shs 10 million in cash bail
- Present two substantial sureties, each bonded at Shs 50 million non-cash
- Surrender his passport and any other travel documents
- Refrain from leaving Uganda without the High Court’s permission
- Report to the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court on its existing schedule, and to the High Court Criminal Division’s Deputy Registrar on the first Monday of each month if the case is committed for trial
The ruling has renewed public attention on delays within Uganda’s criminal justice system and the constitutional safeguards meant to prevent prolonged pre-trial detention. The underlying criminal case remains ongoing.
