RO/146172 Second Lieutenant Muzamir Magezi will learn his fate on July 29, 2024, after being convicted of desertion by the General Court Martial (GCM) at Makindye in Kampala. The court, chaired by Brig. Gen. Robert Freeman Mugabe, convicted Magezi on July 23, 2024, after he admitted to the prosecution’s facts.
State prosecutor Captain Alex Rasto Mukhwana explained that in May 2020, Magezi left his unit at the defence intelligence and security headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala, without authorization. His unit issued a warning message, followed by an absent message, and finally declared him absent without leave (AWOL). Magezi was arrested by Military Police on June 18, 2024, in Luzira Lake Drive zone, Nakawa division, Kampala, and arraigned before the GCM on July 15, 2024, on a charge of desertion.
Desertion, under Sections 144 (1) and (2) (d) of the UPF Act, Cap 330, can result in a maximum life imprisonment sentence upon conviction. When asked if the prosecution’s facts were accurate, Magezi confirmed their truth, leading Mugabe to convict him based on his guilty plea.
The state noted that Magezi had no prior criminal record and was a first-time offender, but emphasized the prevalence of desertion in the defence forces. Prosecutor Mukhwana urged the court to consider the seriousness of the offence and issue an appropriate sentence to deter similar actions in the future.
During mitigation, the defence requested a lenient sentence for Magezi, highlighting his role as a single parent and the sole provider for his child and aging mother. The defence counsel, Lt. Resty Mutebi Nagane, also mentioned Magezi’s medical condition, gastric ulcers, which could worsen in incarceration. Magezi, 35 years old, was described as young and capable of reform.
Magezi recounted the circumstances leading to his desertion, explaining that he had requested permission to attend to his wife in the hospital, but she tragically died during childbirth. Overwhelmed by the loss, Magezi himself was hospitalized. By the time he returned, his unit had already declared him AWOL. He pleaded for leniency, citing the confusion and grief he experienced.
Magezi, a Staff Officer at the Regular Forces of Uganda Intelligence and Security Headquarters, resides in Luzira Lake Drive Zone, Nakawa division, Kampala. The prosecution reiterated that Magezi intended not to return to his unit from May 2020 until his arrest in June 2024.
