The widow of slain city businessman Eriya Bugembe popularly known as Kasiwukira has been acquitted of murdering her husband.
Sarah Nabikolo had been the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, however, she has been acquitted by the High Court on Wednesday on grounds that she wasn’t involved. It was instead her co-accused who turns out to be her cousin, Sandra Kakungu who was convicted together with Ashraf Jaden, a police officer at Muyenga community police station.
The presiding judge, Justice Wilson Masalu Musene said the two had a common intention to kill Kasiwukira. Ashraf knocked Kasiwukira and therefore, was guilty of murder according to the judge.
Kasiwukira, then a treasurer of the ‘Kwagalana group’, a group for wealthy businessmen in Kampala was murdered on October 17, 2014 at about 6am in Muyenga diplomatic zone.He was knocked down by a speeding car as he jogged in the neighborhood of Muyenga. About two months later, Nabikolo, Nakungu and Jaden were charged with his murder and the case has been ongoing until today when the ruling was given.
At one time the case took a dramatic turn a month back when one of the suspects, Ashraf told court that city businessman, Godfrey Kirumira who was is a chairman of the ‘Kwagalana’ group at the time of Kasiwukira’s death had tried to bribe him so as to implicate the widow and her cousin.
Jaden testified before court that two police officers told him that Kirumira was to offer him Shs200 million and a house in case he pinned Kasiwukira’s widow Nabikolo, her cousin, Nakungu and children of the deceased. There were also testimonies about witchcraft in the home. Nabikolo was represented by seasoned lawyers; MacDosman Kabega, Nsubuga Mubiru and Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi.
Kasiwukira is remembered for having played a big role in the development of the local music industry. He was the first person to duplicate songs of different artistes onto cassette tapes in the early 1980s, which tapes he would brand with his logo “Kasiwukira” and then have hawkers sell them around the city.
