The prosecution has asked the High Court in Kampala to sentence nine people convicted of kidnapping and murdering businesswoman Susan Magara to death.
The convicts were found guilty of abducting Magara in 2018, holding her captive for several weeks, and later killing her despite receiving a ransom from her family.
Her body was later dumped along Entebbe Road.
During court submissions on sentencing, Chief State Attorney Sherifah Nalwanga told the judge that the crime was well planned and carried out with extreme cruelty.
She said the group’s main aim was to get ransom money before eventually killing the victim.
The prosecution described the case as one of the most serious under Uganda’s sentencing guidelines and argued that it deserves the maximum punishment.
Court also heard that each convict played a role in the crime, including planning the kidnapping, guarding the victim, collecting ransom, and disposing of the body. The State said part of the ransom money was used to buy land and other property.
The prosecution further explained the impact of the murder on Magara’s family, saying they continue to suffer emotional trauma and financial loss.
Family members asked the court to impose the death penalty, saying they are still living in fear.
The State also requested the court to confiscate all property believed to have been bought using the ransom money and compensate the family.
However, defence lawyer Richard Kumbuga asked the court to be lenient. He said most of the convicts have families who depend on them and urged the court to give them long prison sentences instead of death.
The court is to give its verdict on tomorrow (August 5, 2026).
