Two repeat offenders convicted of murdering an unidentified boda boda rider in Kampala have each been sentenced to 80 years in prison by the High Court.
John Bosco Mugisha, alias Kaihura or Mukiga, and Aloysious Tamale, alias Young Mulo, were each sentenced to 40 years for murder and 40 years for aggravated robbery.
The 80-year sentences will be served after the 70-year prison sentences the two men are already serving for similar crimes. This means each convict faces a total of 150 years in prison before taking into account the time spent on remand.
The latest case relates to the killing of an unidentified male boda boda rider on May 29, 2019, in Kanisa Zone, Makindye Division, Kampala.
According to the prosecution, the two men hired the rider to transport them to an area near Makindye Primary School. They allegedly attacked him, with Tamale struggling with the rider before Mugisha hit him on the head with a concrete block.
The two then fled on the rider’s red Bajaj Boxer motorcycle.
The rider was later found dead in a compound in Kanisa Zone. A postmortem examination showed that he had suffered severe head injuries caused by blunt-force trauma.
The victim had no identification documents and efforts to establish his identity were unsuccessful.
The prosecution relied on CCTV footage of the attack and statements allegedly made by the two convicts linking them to the murder and robbery.
Chief State Attorney Happiness Ainebyoona asked court to impose the death penalty, describing the two as dangerous repeat offenders who had shown no remorse.
Defence lawyer Richard Kumbuga opposed the death penalty and asked court to consider the time the convicts had already spent on remand. He argued that the two could still reform.
In his ruling, High Court Judge Alex Ajiji Mackay said the seriousness of the offences and the convicts’ previous criminal records required a harsh sentence to protect the public.
The judge, however, declined to impose the death penalty, saying their existing 70-year sentences, together with the new sentences, would keep them in prison for a very long time.
After deducting the six years, 11 months and 28 days each had spent on remand, the judge said they would each have about 33 years and one day left to serve under the new sentence.
The two men, who are currently 30 years old, will therefore spend several more decades in prison unless their sentences are changed on appeal.
