The High Court in Masaka has released on bail Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira, a Catholic priest facing charges of money laundering.
Although the court had earlier denied him bail, Justice Veronica Nakintu on Tuesday ruled that Fr. Ssekabira had presented substantial sureties and consequently granted him bail.
The judge set several conditions, including a Shs15 million cash bond, while each of the sureties was ordered to execute a Shs50 million non-cash bond. The priest was also barred from travelling abroad, with his passport ordered to be deposited with the court.
There was jubilation inside and outside the courtroom as members of the Catholic community and relatives of the priest, who had turned up in large numbers, welcomed the ruling.
The case
Prosecutors allege that between 2023 and 2025, Fr. Ssekabira, together with others still at large, concealed the true ownership of Shs500 million, suspected to be proceeds of crime, at Centenary Bank, Masaka Branch.
The priest, who serves as a curate at Bumagi Parish in Masaka District, appeared before the High Court on Tuesday.
The case has drawn significant public attention following Fr. Ssekabira’s disappearance in December 2025, when he was reportedly abducted from his office. About two weeks later, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) confirmed that he was in their custody.
His arrest triggered widespread reaction, particularly within the Catholic community and among political leaders, many of whom questioned the manner in which he was apprehended and held incommunicado for several weeks without being produced before court.
