Aloysius Tamale, commonly known as Young Mulo, and his co-accused John Bosco Mugisha commonly known as Kaihura, also known as Mukiga, are to spend a combined 150 years in prison over the murder and aggravated robbery of an unidentified boda boda rider in Kampala.
The High Court in Kampala today Monday sentenced Young Mulo and Mugisha to an additional 80 years for the 2019 murder and aggravated robbery.
This is on top of the 70-year prison sentences each was previously given for similar offences.
The 70-year sentences were imposed by Justice Margaret Mutonyi after the two were convicted in three previous cases involving murder and aggravated robbery.
In the latest case, Justice Alex Ajiji Mackay sentenced each convict to 40 years for murder and another 40 years for aggravated robbery. The two sentences will run consecutively, meaning that each will serve 80 years for the latest case.
The judge also ordered the new 80-year sentence to run consecutively with the 70 years they are already serving. This brings the total sentence for each convict to 150 years.
The case stems from the killing of an unidentified male boda boda rider on May 29, 2019, in Kanisa Zone, Makindye Division, Kampala.
Prosecution led by Chief State Attorney Happiness Ainebyoona told court that Tamale and Mugisha hired the rider to transport them before taking him to an area near Makindye Primary School.
According to the prosecution, Tamale struggled with the rider, causing him to fall, before Mugisha picked up a concrete block and struck him on the head.
The two men allegedly left the rider unconscious and escaped on his red Bajaj Boxer motorcycle, registration number UEO.
The rider was later found lying in a pool of blood in a compound in Kanisa Zone. Police recovered a concrete block at the scene, which prosecution said was believed to have been used in the attack.
A postmortem examination found that the victim had suffered serious injuries to the head, including a fractured skull. His death was attributed to a brain injury caused by blunt-force trauma.
The prosecution presented CCTV footage showing the attack and also relied on statements allegedly made by the two convicts in which they implicated themselves in the robbery and killing.
The State had asked the court to impose the death penalty, describing the two men as dangerous repeat offenders who had shown no remorse.
Prosecution told court that the two had previously been convicted of three criminal charges involving murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to 70 years in prison.
The State also argued that police investigations had linked the two to the robbery and killing of boda boda riders and that a harsh sentence was necessary to protect the public and deter similar crimes.
Defence lawyer Richard Kumbuga opposed the death penalty and asked the court to consider the period the two had already spent on remand. He argued that they were still young and capable of reforming.
Kumbuga asked the court to sentence each convict to 15 years in prison, with the period spent on remand taken into account.
Tamale also asked for leniency, although he denied committing the latest murder. He asked the court to allow any new sentence to run concurrently with the 70-year sentence he is already serving.
Justice Ajiji, however, said the seriousness of the offence and the convicts’ previous criminal record required a substantial custodial sentence.
The judge said the court had a duty to protect society from repeat offenders and therefore imposed a harsh sentence.
However, Justice Ajiji declined to impose the death penalty, noting that the two were already serving 70-year sentences and that the additional 80 years would keep them out of society for a very long period.
The court also informed Tamale and Mugisha of their right to appeal the decision.
