Over 90 inmates from Luzira plead guilty to capital offences

Kampala. Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Over 90 inmates from Luzira prison facing capital offences have enrolled for the plea bargain programme in which they have confessed to having committed these offences in exchange for lenient sentences.

They Wednesday appeared before Kampala High Court Judge Wilson Kwesiga and pleaded guilty to murder, rape, aggravated robbery and defilement among others.

In exchange the suspects have gone away with lighter jail sentences ranging between four years to ten years.

However those that have had their pleas rejected after they bargained for sentences that were not commensurate with the gravity of the offence they committed, have had their case files sent to another Judge to stand trial.

In their pleas the suspects told court that they have overstayed on remand for more than four years without having their cases cause listed for trial and that is why they had to opt for the Plea Bargain program.

The Plea -Bargain Programme was enrolled in courts of Law as one of the measures to mainly reduce case back-log and decongest prisons in Uganda.

However even though there is an on-going industrial action by Prosecutors; it didn’t stop State Attorney Happiness Ainebyona to appear on behalf of the Directorate of Public Prosecution.