In a recent court decision, a Local Defence Unit (LDU) personnel attached to Buwenge Sub-county in Jinja District, Geoffrey Kibumba, 45, was found guilty of five counts of aggravated robbery and has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. Kibumba, along with co-defendants Geoffrey Ikuluba, 44, from Mafubira Ward in Jinja City, and Gideon Sande from Nkokonjeru in Buikwe District, were convicted under Section 285 and 286 of the Penal Code Act.
According to the prosecution led by Ms. Pamela Orogot, the crime occurred on March 21, 2014, when Kibumba, in collusion with the other two defendants, set up a fake roadblock and robbed five passengers at gunpoint. During the robbery, the victims were assaulted and forced to undress before having their possessions, including phones, cash, and an Isuzu Truck with registration number UAS 309C, stolen from them.
In court, various exhibits were presented, including an AK-47 assault rifle with 30 rounds of live ammunition and mobile phones, among others. Ikuluba and Sande were apprehended after being discovered selling tires and batteries from the stolen Isuzu Truck in Mukono Park. They had previously vandalized the vehicle and abandoned it in a sugarcane plantation in Nkokonjeru. Subsequently, the duo led the police to Kibumba’s residence, where the AK-47 and military uniform were recovered.
During the sentencing phase, Ms. Orogot requested the court to impose a 35-year sentence on each convict due to the use of a firearm in committing the crime. However, Judge Winfred Nabisinde of Jinja High Court determined that Kibumba played a more significant role in the offense, citing the recovery of army uniforms and a firearm in his house. As a result, Kibumba was sentenced to 35 years for each of the five counts, to be served concurrently. His co-convicts, Ikuluba and Sande, received 25-year sentences for each of the five counts, also to be served concurrently.
Justice Nabisinde emphasized that although the victims could not identify the suspects, the court relied on evidence provided by a professional police officer who retrieved the stolen items from the defendants. She further noted that the convicts had violated the privacy and personal integrity of their victims, as both men and women were left naked during the robbery, and the weapon used was deadly, even though no specific injuries were sustained by the victims.
The defence lawyer, Mr. Robert Esarait, unsuccessfully sought a more lenient sentence of approximately 15 years, arguing that the victims had not suffered any injuries, and the convicts expressed remorse with no prior criminal records. Justice Nabisinde advised the convicts to appeal the judgment and sentence if they were dissatisfied with the court’s decision.
