The High Court in Kampala has convicted nine people over the gruesome 2018 kidnap and murder of businesswoman Susan Magara, bringing to a close one of Uganda’s most notorious ransom killing cases after eight years of investigations and trial.
In an 84-page judgment delivered on Monday, Justice Alex Ajiji found the accused guilty of kidnapping Magara with intent to obtain a hefty ransom before murdering her in cold blood.
Those convicted are: Yusuf Lubega, Mahad Kisalita, Ismail Bukenya, Abubaker Kyewokya, Hassan Wasswa, Abbas Musa Buwembo, Hussein Kato Miiro, Hajjara Nakandi and Muzamir Ssali.
“Accordingly, I agree with the three court assessors that the prosecution has proved the case against each of you, and you are convicted as charged,” Justice Ajiji ruled.
The judge deferred sentencing to Tuesday. Under Uganda’s Penal Code Act, a murder conviction carries a maximum sentence of death by hanging.
The nine had maintained their innocence throughout the trial.
The night of the abduction
Court heard that on the night of February 7, 2018, Magara was abducted outside her home in Lungujja, Kampala, while speaking on the phone with her friend, Yusuf Muhindo.
Mr. Muhindo testified that he heard a struggle during the call before Magara screamed in Luganda, “Temunkuba” (Don’t beat me), after which the line went dead.
Justice Ajiji noted that the evidence established beyond reasonable doubt that Magara was forcibly taken against her will.
“The screaming by the deceased and the abandoned vehicle with its engine still running prove beyond reasonable doubt that she was forcefully abducted,” the judge stated.
Magara’s Toyota RAV4 was later recovered abandoned with its engine still running, while her mobile phones were left inside.
$200,000 Ransom and severed fingers
The following day, the kidnappers contacted Magara’s family demanding a ransom of $1 million (USD), which was later negotiated down to $200,000 (about Shs700 million).
According to the prosecution, initial attempts to collect the ransom between February 15 and 17 failed after the kidnappers suspected police surveillance.
On February 19, the family received a horrific parcel containing two of Magara’s severed fingers alongside a flash drive with a video showing her pleading with her father to pay the ransom. Forensic evidence confirmed she was alive when her fingers were cut off.
“The severed fingers demonstrated the kidnappers’ determination to procure a ransom through intimidation,” Justice Ajiji observed.
The family eventually delivered the ransom money at Kanaaba in Ndejje on February 23. Despite the payment, Magara’s body was discovered four days later at Kitiko-Birongo near the Entebbe Expressway. A postmortem examination concluded she died from asphyxia caused by manual strangulation.
Overwhelming evidence
During the trial, the prosecution called 45 witnesses, while the court summoned an additional witness from the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA). The defence presented 20 witnesses.
Justice Ajiji ruled that the prosecution’s case was backed by overwhelming forensic and circumstantial evidence-including DNA analysis, telephone records, digital forensics, and crime scene findings.
The court relied heavily on telecommunications forensic expert Frank Nyakairu, whose analysis proved that the accused communicated frequently before, during, and after the kidnapping.
Additionally, some of the accused led investigators to where Magara was held, sites planned for ransom collection, and the spot where her body was dumped.
Several of the convicted individuals also acquired expensive assets-including land and motor vehicles-shortly after the ransom was paid.
“The explanations regarding the source of funds were vague and unsupported by evidence. The rapid acquisition of property shortly after the ransom strongly points to proceeds from the crime,” Justice Ajiji said.
Masterminds at large
Justice Ajiji concluded that the accused acted with a common intention to abduct Magara, hold her captive for nearly three weeks, torture her, and ultimately kill her to eliminate a key witness.
Two suspected masterminds of the operation, Yakub Byensi and Hakim Lugolobi, remain at large.
Magara’s abduction in 2018 sent shockwaves across Uganda and prompted high-level security interventions, including direct involvement from President Yoweri Museveni.
Following the verdict on Monday evening, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) welcomed the judgment, stating that “justice has been served.”