On Thursday, October 19, 2023, the High Court is scheduled to deliver its judgment in the case involving the alleged murder of social worker Maria Nagirinya and her driver, Ronald Kitayimbwa. This verdict follows a nearly ten-month trial of the six suspects indicted for the 2019 double murder.
The accused individuals in this case are Coporiyamu Kasolo, Lubega alias Etoo alias Manomano alias Rasta, Nasif Kalyango alias Muwonge, Hassan Kiseka alias Masadda, Sharif Mpanga alias Shafiq, and Sadat Katerega alias Baros.
These suspects face charges related to six counts of murder, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery in connection with the tragic events involving Maria Nagirinya, a former employee of the Community Integrated Development Initiative, and her driver, Ronald Kitayimbwa.
On September 19, two court assessors, Ms. Sharp Mutoni and Mr. Simon Okongo, recommended that the court convict the suspects. They expressed the opinion that the accused should be held liable both individually and collectively, as the kidnap, murder, and robbery were committed during an unlawful act.
Assessors, who are members of the public without legal training, are appointed for criminal trials and provide their non-binding opinions to the court before the final verdict is delivered. Ms. Mutonyi, in the joint opinion submitted to the court, stated, “..we are of the opinion that at all the occasions, the accused persons were rightly placed at the respective scenes of the crime, and the prosecution proved that they participated in the commission of the offences they are indicted with.”
The prosecution, led by Mr. Jonathan Muwaganya and Timothy Amerit, alleges that on August 28, 2016, the accused, along with others still at large, kidnapped Nagirinya and Kitayimbwa in Nabisasiro zone in Rubaga and Mukono District, subsequently murdering them. Additionally, the suspects are accused of using violence to rob Nagirinya of her motor vehicle, registered under number UBA 570V, her mobile phone, and a sum of 260,000 Shillings in cash.
