Kampala businessman Matthew Kanyamunyu has been released from prison after completing his sentence for the fatal shooting of child rights activist Kenneth Akena in 2016. Kanyamunyu, who was initially sentenced to five years and one month in jail, has served a total of three years and five months following remission.
According to Uganda Prisons authorities, Mr. Kanyamunyu was released on Friday morning. Frank Baine, the spokesperson of the Uganda Prisons Service, confirmed the release, stating that Kanyamunyu was discharged after completing the earliest period of his sentence.
Baine emphasized that Kanyamunyu, like any other released prisoner, is being reintegrated into society after serving his punishment. He expressed optimism that Kanyamunyu would not engage in further criminal activities.
Matthew Kanyamunyu was convicted of manslaughter on November 12, 2020, after pleading guilty to the charges. The Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew murder charges against Kanyamunyu’s girlfriend, Cynthia Munwangari, who was with him at the time of the shooting.
Initially, Kanyamunyu had denied the murder charges, but during the trial, evidence emerged, leading to a change in his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty.” This shift in plea occurred in August, expediting the conclusion of the case.
Kanyamunyu took a unique approach to seek reconciliation with the victim’s family by engaging Acholi cultural leaders and elders. He participated in the traditional justice mechanism known as mato-oput and voluntarily pleaded guilty. Subsequently, he approached the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw his name from the criminal trial to complete the justice process under mato-oput.
Although the DPP and the trial judge were initially hesitant to postpone the trial, they were open to alternative dispute resolution methods. Kanyamunyu opted for plea bargaining, resulting in the reduction of the murder charge to manslaughter. The plea bargaining process acknowledged that Kanyamunyu did not have premeditated intent to kill Akena but that the shooting resulted from a sudden altercation between them.
As a result of the plea bargaining, all charges against Cynthia Munwangari were dropped, and she was released.
