The trial of nine individuals accused of kidnapping and murdering Susan Magara has faced another delay. The case, which has been ongoing for some time, was put on hold once more on July 30, 2024. Presiding Judge Alex Ajiji informed the court that he had not yet completed writing his ruling concerning the accused’s application for enforcement of human rights.
The judge announced that the hearing would be rescheduled to August 1, 2024, when he is expected to deliver his ruling. This delay impacts the progress of the case, which involves significant allegations against the accused.
The nine individuals charged in the case are Abbas Musa Buvumbo, Abubaker Kyewolwa, Hajarah Nakandi, Yusuf Lubega, Hussein Wasswa, Muzamiru Ssali, Hassan Kato-Miiro, Amir Ismail Bukenya, and Mahad Kisalita. Kisalita is notably the former imam of Usafi makeshift mosque in Mengo-Kisenyi, Kampala, where many of the accused were initially apprehended by security forces. The defendants are represented by lawyers John Kabagambe, Richard Kumbuga, Samuel Wanda, and Zaina Nabukenya.
The accused have requested the termination of their trial, arguing that they were tortured upon arrest. They claim that the torture and coercion led to false admissions of guilt in their charge and caution statements. This claim has been a central issue in the trial, impacting its progress.
The prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo, has presented 20 witnesses so far, with 15 more expected to testify. The prosecution alleges that the accused, along with others still at large, kidnapped Susan Magara on February 7, 2018. Magara, a 28-year-old daughter of city businessman John Magara, was taken from Kabaka Anjagala Road in Mengo as she was driving home to Lungujja.
The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of $1 million (about 3.65 billion shillings). Despite the family’s payment of $200,000 (approximately 700 million shillings), Magara was murdered. Her body was discovered three weeks later, on August 27, 2018, in Kigo, Wakiso District. Prior to her death, the kidnappers sent a video and a bag containing two of her severed fingers to her family, threatening further violence if the ransom was not paid.
The indictment states that the accused, with insider information, tracked Magara before kidnapping her. They allegedly first took her to Nakandi’s home in Nateete and then to Bukenya’s home in Konge II Makindye. At Bukenya’s residence, they severed her fingers and sent them to her family.
The prosecution also alleges that some of the ransom money was used by the accused to purchase land in Mukono District. The case continues to unfold as the court awaits the judge’s ruling on the accused’s human rights application.
