5 of the 11 people convicted for murdering people in Kasese district released

Court martial appeal has released 5 of the 11 people who were convicted in 2014 for murdering 12 people including police officers and burning down houses in Kasese district.

11 people  were convicted of murder and attempted murder whereby each were sentenced to 25 years imprisonment on murder and 3 years each on attempted murder  a sentence they had to serve concurrently.

The convicts being dissatisfied with both conviction and sentences appealed on grounds that the General court martial had no jurisdiction to try them since they were civilians.

But General court Martial Appeal Judge Elly Turyamubona said that cannot affect their conviction because the eye witnesses who testified in court knew the attackers very well and placed them on the scene of crime.

The Judge also ruled that the evidence which was produced during the trial pinned the six and ordered them to serve 25years imprisonment handed to them but acquitted the five.

These were among the group of 57 people who were arrested for attacking policemen guarding a weigh bridge along Kasesese Mbarara High way in Kasese district on 5 July 2014 and that during the attack the convicts were armed with spears Pangas, Machettes among others.

Written by David Kugonza