Five men involved in a robbery in Wakiso district have been sentenced to 12 years in prison for their crime. The General Court Martial (GCM) in Makindye, Kampala, found them guilty of aggravated robbery.
The convicted individuals are Shaban Kalungi, 34, from Nakuwadde Busea in Rubaga division, Kampala; Deogracious Ssebugwawo, 29; Rogers Lipoto, 36; John Ssekanyo, 35; and John Ssekiranda, also known as Young, 30, from Kira Central Zone, Bweyogerere division in Wakiso district. Ssebugwawo resides in Namsuba Central in Makindye, while Lipoto and Ssekanyo are based in Bweyogerere and Central Zone Bweyogerere, respectively.
Brig. Gen. Freeman Mugabe, who chaired the court, explained that the sentencing followed the defendants’ conviction on one count of aggravated robbery, which is punishable under Sections 285 and 286 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 120. The maximum penalty for this offense is death.
Gen. Mugabe stated that despite the severity of the crime, the court took into account that the convicts were first-time offenders and family men. The court deemed a 12-year sentence appropriate as a deterrent. After accounting for time served on remand and mitigating factors, the final sentence for the defendants was nine years in prison.
The court reminded the convicts of their right to appeal within 14 days if they were dissatisfied with the verdict.
One co-accused, Simon Peter Magawa, a UPDF soldier, will face trial separately as he denied the charges. Magawa, alongside Kalungi and the others, is accused of robbing Naboth Ahereza on February 7, 2023, at Kakajjo zone, Buto Cell, Bweyogerere division. The stolen items included shillings 6.5 million, three mobile phones, and an SMG rifle.
Magawa and his co-accused also face other charges, including the robbery of a senior security officer, Edrine Luyimbazi, of shillings 1.5 million and an SMG rifle on December 24, 2022, in Kisweka Village, Kiboga district. They are also implicated in the theft of 30 kilograms of gold worth $150,000 valued at over sh555 million, from Muhindo Buhangwa on June 25, 2021, in Mpigi District.
Magawa will appear in court again on September 17, 2024, for a case mention, while the other convicts serve their sentences at Kitalya Government Prison.
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