The High Court in Kampala has convicted the two prime suspects in the murder of former Ndiga Clan leader, Engineer Daniel Bbosa.
Lujja Bbosa Tabula and his co-accused Noah Lugya, alias Fake, were convicted after pleading guilty to the murder charges and confirming to the court that the facts presented by the prosecution were accurate.
Tabula, accused of masterminding the February 2024 assassination, told Justice David Matovu that the charges against him were true and asked the court for forgiveness. Lugya similarly admitted to the offense.
Justice Matovu formally convicted the duo under sections 171 and 172 of the Penal Code Act after state prosecutors Joseph Kyomuhendo, Marion Ben-Bela, and Caroline Tabaro read out the summary of the case.
While Tabula and Lugya accepted responsibility, three other co-accused persons-Harriet Nakiguli, Joseph Nakabake, and Ezra Mayanja-maintained their innocence by pleading not guilty. They are now set to stand trial.
Prosecution details reveal that Eng. Bbosa was gunned down on February 25, 2024, at Kikandwa in Lungujja as he returned home from presiding over a clan function in Katosi. He was traveling in his Toyota Prado alongside his wife, Gladys, and their house help when assailants on a motorcycle targeted his vehicle near his residence.
Following the shooting, local boda-boda riders pursued the fleeing assailants and intercepted them in Bulabega Zone. One of the alleged attackers, Enock Sserunkuma, alias Munaku, was killed by an angry mob. Lugya was rescued from the mob by security forces and rushed to Mulago Hospital for emergency treatment.
Police later recovered an AK-47 rifle from a nearby compound. Ballistic examinations confirmed that the firearm was operational and matched the spent cartridges recovered from the crime scene, while a postmortem report established that Eng. Bbosa died of gunshot wounds.
According to prosecution statements, Lugya confessed that he participated in the killing on the instructions of his uncle, Tabula, and identified the deceased Sserunkuma as the gunman who pulled the trigger. Prosecutors further presented evidence showing that Tabula, who went into hiding shortly after the incident, was apprehended on August 19, 2024, in Namulonge, Wakiso District.
State evidence submitted to the court included CCTV and surveillance footage trailing Eng. Bbosa’s movements, call-data records showing frequent communication between the suspects prior to the attack, and forensic reports. Investigations also revealed that planning meetings had been held between November and December 2023, during which alternative methods-including poisoning-were discussed.
The prosecution established that the murder was fueled by a leadership dispute, with Tabula opposing Eng. Bbosa’s position as head of the Ndiga Clan and claiming the title was his birthright. Tabula allegedly supplied the murder weapon, which he claimed belonged to his grandfather, a former UPDF officer.
The defense is led by Richard Kumbuga, while lawyer Simon Tendo Kabege is watching brief on behalf of Eng. Bbosa’s family.
The court has stood over the matter for sentencing of Lugya and his co-accused.