THE Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has said that the department is ready with evidence against city businessman Desh Kananura, who together with others reportedly beat a waiter to death.
DPP Deputy Spokesperson Irene Nakimbugwe told EagleOnline that their side is waiting for the High Court to fix the hearing date of the murder case against the persons accused of beating to death bar man Badru Kateregga, a waiter at Kananura’s Naguru-based Panamera Bar in 2012.
“We are waiting for court to tell us (DPP) when the case will be scheduled. Otherwise, for us, we are ready with the file” Ms Nakimbugwe said.
At the time of Kateregga’s death one of the workers at the bar who preferred anonymity, told the media that the deceased and five others were arrested after they were searched by a security guard who found him with money at 3am.
“Workers are searched before and after entering the premises. It so happened that one of the bar attendants was found with Shs30, 000. They took him behind the bar in the internal cell and beat him using sticks and a gun butt,” he said.
Before he met his cruel death, Kateregga had just completed Senior Six in 2011 but lacked money to continue with school and got the bar job to raise school fees.
Asked why it has delayed court to reschedule the Kananura case, Solomon Muyita, the spokesperson of the Judiciary said that there has been scarcity of funds to handle criminal cases.
He further revealed that government has released Shs6 billion, and that all criminal seasons are to resume, among them that of Kananura.
“We had challenges with the funds and usually, a judge will handle 40 criminal cases and each case will require a million shillings but now that funds, have been released, the criminal season will start and the selection of cases will be done by representatives of DPP and the court and this is where Kananura’s case will be rescheduled,” Mr Muyita said on phone.
Following Kateregga’s death, police arrested and interrogated Kananura, after which he was remanded to prison. He was subsequently produced before court and given bail.
In February this year High Court judge Justice Wilson Masalu Musene set March 15, 2016 as the date for commencement of the hearing of the murder case against rally driver and city socialite Kananura, but up date, the case hasn’t taken off.
Appearing before Justice Masalu Musene, State Attorney Samalie Wakooli, holding brief for Jane Okuo Kajuga, informed court that being that plea-taking in this case was done, she wanted court to set a hearing date on any date after March 15, when the trial prosecutor will be available.
Once effected, the hearing of murder charges against Kananura will follow another high profile case of senior police officer Aaron Baguma, who is also facing murder charges.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Baguma, a former Division Police Commander (DPC) at the Central Police Station in Kampala, with others, allegedly murdered businesswoman Ronah Betty Katushabe.
The deceased woman allegedly owed city businessman, Pine Car Bond owner Muhammad Sebuwufu Shs9 million, a debt incurred after she bought a car at Shs17 and reportedly paid Sebuwufu an advance of Shs8 million.
One of the prime suspects, SP Baguma was today released on bail.
How police discovered Kateregga’s death
Acting on a tip-off by a one Mr Kirenzi, who was dropped at Kira Road Police Station by unknown people, officers rushed to Panamera and picked the body of Kateregga.
The body was then taken to Mulago Hospital for postmortem and later buried at the deceased’s ancestral home in Kamonkoli in Budaka district.
