DISCHARGE OF PROPHET ELVIS ALLAN MBONYE’S POLICE BOND IN RELATION TO THE CHARGES OF MISLEADING INFORMATION ON THE NATIONAL VACCINATION EXERCISE

PRESS RELEASE

The Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Crime Intelligence (CIID) -Media Crime Investigations Department has today (8th/01/2020) discharged Prophet Elvis Allan Mbonye’s bond thereby reinstating his Constitutional freedom to liberty.

Prophet Elvis Allan Mbonye has since October 2019, been frequently reporting to the CIID-Media Crimes Investigations Department in response to Police summons issued on 17th October 2019. The Prophet was invited by the Police supposedly for an interview and recording of a statement at the CIID premises in Kibuli in relation to and to assist in investigations surrounding contents of a FACEBOOK ACCOUNT in the name of ‘Mugisha Elvis Mbonye’; allegedly de-campaigning the national immunization/vaccination exercise executed by the Ministry of Health in October 2019 contrary to Section 23 of the Immunization Act,2017.

Throughout this ordeal, the Prophet has diligently honoured the police summons and the subsequent police bond requirements as per the law. During his scheduled appearances at the CID premises, Prophet Elvis Allan Mbonye emphasized and rightly so that he did not own, run, or know of the existence of a FACEBOOK ACCOUNT in the abovementioned name, as alleged. He further offered information regarding all his official and personal social media accounts to the Police for further investigations.Despite such clarification and in the absence of any evidence linking him to the said facebook account and offence,the Police investigation Unit insisted on extending his bond appearances.We note and affirm that these inordinate and unnecessary delays in the investigation process were not only intentional but in contravention of his constitutional liberties.

During the subsistence of this tormentous investigations,there has been deliberate misinformation, perpetrated by select members of the police investigating unit that sought to damage the reputation of the Prophet and cause disdain amongst the Public towards him. These officers further released information central to the then ongoing investigations to the media contrary to the Uganda Police Standing Orders (7th Edition 1984)(Crime and the CID).We denounce this unprofessional conduct perpetrated by these police officers who have maintained a clear sinister campaign of hate and disparagement -its ends and motivating reasons yet to be known. We further demand that the Professional Standards Unit of the Uganda Police Force addresses such conduct in order to guarantee the rights and freedoms of those who interface with this law enforcement agency of the State.

We welcome the decision by the Police to discharge the bond and thereby vindicate Prophet Elvis Mbonye of these baseless assertions; a fact that has been known right from the start of these investigations by the Police Investigations Unit.

Even as this chapter comes to a close, we note that;

1. a) There is extra and urgent need for the Uganda Police Force officers; especially those operating in the Criminal Investigations Department to always opt to observe and uphold the law and not the dictates of the powers that be.
2. b) In particular, we denounce the opportunistic use of investigation tools such as police bond, which are rightly meant to facilitate lawful investigations but are instead used to curtail the civil liberties of suspects in total contravention of the Bill of Rights under Chapter 4 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda.
3. c) Any further persecution against the Prophet Elvis Mbonye shall evidently be due to his firm stand against the National Religious and Faith Organisations Policy.

Lastly,we thank all who rendered their support (legal and otherwise) to the Prophet and the Prophet Elvis Mbonye Ministries during this ordeal in various forms, from all over the world.

A GREAT DOOR AND EFFECTUAL IS OPENED TO US!