Four people convicted of murdering mobile money agents

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  | Four people have been convicted for the murder of two mobile money agents in Zana along the Kampala-Entebbe Highway.

The convicts are Bob Anichan, a UPDF deserter formerly attached to Uganda Military Academy Kabamba, Dennis Mangusho, formerly attached to the 63rd Battalion, a casual labourer identified as Stanley Mulunda alias Jumba Frank, and a bodaboda rider identified as Issa Ntale alias Ganja.

The four were found guilty of killing two people; Moreen Nakabuubi and Harriet Nalwadda, who were robbed of 6.8 million Shillings in a shooting on June 10, 2019.

The chairperson of the General Court Martial Lt. General Andrew Gutti said the prosecution had proved the cases against the accused beyond reasonable doubt through the 16 prosecution witnesses.

Court noted that the murder of Nalwadda and Nakabuubi was malice aforethought since it was caused by shooting as testified by Dr James Mbayo.In his testimony, Dr Mbayo told the court that Nalwadda bled to death after being shot in the chest.

The court noted that prosecution witnesses including police detectives and spouses of the accused placed the convicts on the scene of the crime, which shows their involvement in the murder.

Court also heard that a bag containing 6.8 million Shillings was found at the home of Ntale Issa, with bloodstains that matched that of the late Nalwadda. The key witnesses included Francis Kabera, the head of Security at Airtel Uganda, Robinah Nalwoga, the wife to Ntale and Bintah Ssengoba, the girlfriend of Mulunda and a number of detectives.

Kabera told the court that he obtained a number of court orders to track down the call logs of phone number 0755218637 belonging to Ntale, one of the convicts. According to his testimony, Kibera explained that on the fateful day the deceased persons were killed, Ntale was in constant communication with Mulunda who was in Zana.

He was also in touch with another person who was using a number registered in the name of Bintah Ssengoba (0703245156). Ntale’s wife, Robina Nalwoga also told the court that her husband brought a black polythene bag containing the money they had stolen from the deceased and hid it under their matrimonial bed. She revealed the said bag with blood stains was later recovered by soldiers upon their arrest on June 18 together with a Bajaj Boxer motorcycle registration number UEW 025Z.

However, the convicts decided not to defend themselves with the exception of the prime suspect, Bob Anichan. In his testimony, Anichan told the court that he is CMI custody on charges of stealing a gun from the Peace Support Operations Training Center Singo by the time the mobile money agents were killed. However, the court has rejected his defense.

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