Two Ugandan men are to serve 60 years imprisonment for aggravated robbery and murder of a Columbia University student who was on holiday in Kampala.

It is said on December 31, 2015 at around midnight, Andrew Gatare, 19, a student of electrical engineering left home in Kololo to watch fireworks at Kampala Serena Hotel but was strangled by Ronald Mutebi and Geoffrey Lubwama before robbing his blackberry phone.

The duo was arrested after selling the phone at shs80, 000.

High Court judge, Flavia Anglin Ssenoga on Monday said the two offences are so grave and attract a maximum sentence of death but noted she had been lenient to sentence them to 60 years for both offences.

“Each of the two convicts is sentenced to 30-year imprisonment on each of the two counts of murder and aggravated robbery,” Ssenoga said.

The sentences are to run concurrently she said.

The judge argued that because the convicts are first offenders, she didn’t go for the maximum death sentence but rather 35 years for each of the offences and that she had subtracted the five years they have spent on remand in Luzira.

According to justice Ssenoga, the convicts set out to go and carry out the offence by targeting revelers who were enjoying New Year’s Day celebrations, and Gatare fell prey to their actions.

“The victim of the offence was deliberately targeted because of his money and phone. The offences were committed as part of a premeditated plan because the convicts left their area of residence deliberately targeting revelers who were enjoying the New Year’s Day in order to enrich themselves.”

Justice Ssenoga said in the process, the life of a young person was abruptly ended and that it can never be returned.

The judge said that such offences of aggravated robbery and murder are widely condemned by the public, adding that anyone who participates in such should be kept away from society.

“The offences cause a lot of fear among the public and the family of the deceased and society has been deprived of a very young person. The pain caused to the family can never go away despite the condolences passed onto them,” Ssenoga said in her sentence.

She said she had handed such a punishment to the convicts to send out a message that crime does not pay and that for anyone to earn a living, they have to work hard for it.

“If they are not punished for such behavior, it becomes a licence for other people to commit crimes as they believe they can get away with it. That kind of behavior has to be greatly condemned and cannot be tolerated.”

“They should be able to learn that wealth is obtained through hard work and not through crime and violence.”

The judge said that by such a sentence, she is sending out a strong message to the public that crime does not pay and whoever participates in it will have to pay for it.

Akello Florence, the state prosecutor said the offences of murder and aggravated robbery are so grave that the convicts deserve 40 years imprisonment for taking away a life of only 19 years old. The victim (Gatare) was still young and had a bright future ahead of him but he never lived to enjoy it.

Fredrick Mbaziira( defence lawyer) said that the convicts were first offenders and are sole breadwinners for their families. The court should hand lenient sentences to them so they can be able to reform and also return to fend for their families.

“To error is human but repeating a mistake should attract severe sentence. They should be given a chance to return to society as reformed people and preach the gospel of being good citizens in their communities,” he said.

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The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), has expressed its concern over taxpayers’ money, saying  President  Yoweri Museveni  has spent too much money  on his wealth creation tours “whose unstated aim is creation of a poor and vulnerable population dependent on handouts from a permanently vote seeking ruler.”

Recently, parliament allocated Shs31.6 billion for inland travel under State House during the financial year 2018, however supplement him with Shs17.5 billion to specifically finance tours.

Speaking at party headquarters, FDC spokesperson Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, said Museveni has spent Shs17.5 billion touring the country under the guise of promoting Wealth Creation, “In fact in a supplementary request he made in May 2019, he also asked for Shs15.7 billion for classified expenditure under his residence,” he said.

“He has officially spent Shs33.2 billion on tours in three months, everywhere he has gone, he has been bribing councilors with Shs300,000 transport refund who in return are required to pass a resolution declaring him sole Presidential candidate president,” he said.

However, Mr. Don Wanyama, the Senior Presidential Press Secretary dismissed FDC’s assertion saying the opposition party never sees anything useful in whatever Mr Museveni does and therefore, he would be surprised if they instead praised him.

“I would be surprised if FDC actually found anything positive about Museveni. Its a party founded on criticizing Museveni, what more can they say? But just for their education, the President has the mandate to meet Ugandans at any time and engage them on any subject he deems to be important. This time, it is the idea of sensitising the masses on how to move into the money economy. This is an obviously important subject. It’s why a government even exists in the first place; to improve the people’s welfare. And information, in this push, is important. That’s what the President is doing – – educating the public.” Mr Wanyama said.

Adding “If the public at these meetings choose to endorse the President to run in 2021, that is not Mr Museveni’s problem and he can’t stop them. At least he’s stuck to the primary reason for this nationwide tour.
And yes, in executing his duties, the law allows taxpayers to facilitate the President. There’s nothing criminal there”.

Semujju said, the country knows, that Operation Wealth Creation is now five years, however has been as disastrous as all his earlier campaign slogans such as Modernization of Agriculture and Prosperity for all, “the aim was never to help the population out of poverty. Today, more than 70 per cent of the population is still producing for the stomach (subsistence farming),” he said.

“Not surprising that Museveni himself and his brother Gen. Salim Saleh, commander of Operation Poverty Creation disguised as Wealth Creation are some of the few most successful farmers the regime has created in the last three and half decades,” he said.

He said Farmers have perennially complained about limited access to credit for production, lack of water for production, limited access to market, poor and inadequate storage and processing facilities leading to poor-harvest management.

In May 2013 and the months is always May and two years to an election, Museveni processed a supplementary request of Shs49.8 billion for 20 community outreach each costing Shs2.49 billion. He had already given himself Shs13.7 billion for what he called mobilization of masses towards poverty reduction under code 1611093.

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The Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth Ochola recently directed a senior officer to resign from his job.

In the letter dated July19, 2019, Ochola directed Police Director of Engineering and Logistics, Godfrey Bangirana, to handover office not later than Monday July 22, 2019.

Ochola told Bangirana that his contract was yet to be renewed hence the need for him to hand over office.
“Records available indicate that your contract that was renewed on July 17, 2017 expired on July 16, 2019. It is also on record that you applied to the Secretary Police Authority for consideration for renewal which has not yet been done,” Ochola’s letter reads in part.

He said: “While we await the decision of police authority, it is only proper that you hand over office to SPC Richard Edyegu who is one of the Deputy Directors in that Directorate.”

September last year, The Inspectorate of Government launched an investigation into Godfrey Bangirana, the police director of Engineering and Logistics, accused of superintending several fraudulent procurements.
The whistleblower accuses the police chief of inflating costs for the repair of a – seven-seater Bell 206B helicopter that had been grounded for 15 years.

According to the whistleblower, Bangirana quoted an exorbitant price of Shs 10 billion for the chopper’s repair. On the day of its launch before cameras by the deputy Inspector General of Police Brig Muzeyi Sabiiti at Kajjansi airstrip, the chopper initially failed to take off until engineers fixed a few things.
The Force could have procured at least two more choppers with the same amount spent on repairing the 33-year-old chopper.

Bangirana is also accused of flouting procurement processes – awarding contracts to companies in which he has personal interest.

He is also accused of endorsing payments for only friendly companies or individuals. ‘’He is the man behind the fuel scam where he paid billions of shillings to petrol companies and had his proxies fetch police fuel but also sometimes going through back doors to pick physical cash from the fuel stations,” the whistleblower wrote.

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Kisoro town woke up to bad news after Isaac Sendegeya, a top lawyer was shot dead by unknown gunmen at his gate at Nturo ward in the wee hours of the night.

According to reports, Sendegeya was shot at about 2.30 am as he approached him gate and according. However, according to police spokesperson in the area, Elly Maate, the murder took place at 2 am.He said despite police responding on time, the gunmen had fled and investigations are on going.

the killing of Sendegeya in Kisoro which is about 490 poses more questions as to whether the rampant killings in Kampala Metropolitan area and such as this are linked or it was an isolated incident.

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