The High Court in Kampala resumed the hearing of a case against businessman Francis Onebe, who is accused of murdering his wife, on May 27, 2024. Justice Michael Elubu is presiding over the case, with Principal State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo representing the prosecution. The defense team for Onebe and security guard Bonny Oriekot includes lawyers Patrick Kasumba, David Oluka, and Joshua Emorut.
In the previous court session, Charles Okello, the former manager of Pentagon Security Company, denied allegations that he planned the murder of his sister, Immaculate Mary Blessing Aiso. Defense lawyer Kasumba questioned Okello based on a statement from Gerald Abaasi, which claimed that Okello met with Brian Kwizera on September 30, 2020, to plot Aiso’s murder. Okello refuted these claims, stating he did not know Kwizera, who is the executive director of Kwizera Bus Company, and denied paying sh150m to anyone, including Kwizera, to commit the murder.
The court heard that Aiso was strangled to death and her body was secretly transported to her home in Munyonyo. The charges against Onebe, a 63-year-old accountant, accuse him of murdering his wife and dumping her body in a septic tank. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Onebe and Oriekot, 26, have been on remand at Luzira Prison for over two years, having been denied bail twice.
On January 6, 2021, Onebe reported his wife missing at Buziga Police Post, claiming she was abducted by plainclothes operatives in a ‘drone’ vehicle. A week later, her body was found in a septic tank at the couple’s home by a joint security team led by the Crime Investigation Department of the Police Force.
Police investigations revealed that Onebe and Aiso had separated but reunited and formally married 14 years later until her murder. After the investigation, Onebe was arrested and charged with murder, first appearing before Makindye Chief Magistrates Court and later being committed to the High Court for trial. Oriekot, a security guard from Pentagon Security, is also charged in connection with the murder.
The committal papers from the Director of Public Prosecutions indicate that Onebe and Aiso had a dispute involving sorcery, which allegedly led to her death. As the trial resumes, the court continues to examine the evidence and testimonies related to this tragic case.
