The High Court in Kampala has sentenced Lujja Bbosa Tabula and Noah Lugya, alias Fake, to death for their roles in the February 2024 assassination of former Ndiga Clan leader, Engineer Daniel Bbosa.
The duo was convicted after pleading guilty to the murder charge and confirming the facts presented by the prosecution.
In handing down the maximum sentence, Justice David Matovu ruled that the premeditated and brutal nature of the murder demanded the harshest punishment under Ugandan law.
‘Given the motive and the various groups involved, this is one of the cases where a maximum sentence has to be passed,’ Justice Matovu stated.
The judge acknowledged that while both convicts were first-time offenders who demonstrated remorse and saved court time by admitting guilt, these mitigating factors were heavily outweighed by the gravity and calculated nature of the crime.
Prosecution evidence showed that Tabula supplied the firearm used in the execution and tracked Eng Bbosa to Katosi prior to the attack. Ballistic examinations later matched the weapon to spent cartridges recovered at the crime scene.
Eng Bbosa was shot dead on February 25, 2024, at Kikandwa village in Lungujja, Rubaga Division, as he returned home from presiding over a clan function in Katosi. Armed assailants riding a motorcycle intercepted his Toyota Prado near his residence, opening fire while he was traveling with his wife, Gladys, and their domestic helper.
Condemning the violence, Justice Matovu warned the public against taking the law into their own hands to settle rivalries or disputes.
The judge also cautioned against mob justice, citing the fate of Enock Sserunkuma, alias Munaku, an alleged co-conspirator who was beaten to death by angry boda-boda riders during a chase shortly after the shooting. Lugya was narrowly rescued from the same mob by security agencies and rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital for emergency treatment.
Justice Matovu observed that the mob attack almost derailed justice, noting that if Lugya had died on the spot, crucial evidence regarding the assassination plot might have been lost forever. According to state prosecutors, the contract-style killing was fueled by a long-standing chieftaincy dispute within Buganda Kingdom’s Ndiga Clan. Tabula fiercely contested Eng Bbosa’s leadership, claiming the clan seat was his rightful birthright.
The court heard that the plotters disguised the registration plates of the motorcycle used in the hit and had been holding clandestine planning meetings since late 2023, where various execution methods were evaluated.
Emphasizing the national impact of the crime, Justice Matovu remarked that the assassination affected not only the victim’s immediate family, but also the broader Ndiga Clan, the Buganda Kingdom, and the country as a whole, given Eng Bbosa’s prominent professional and cultural status.
Tabula and Lugya were remanded to await execution as prescribed by law.
Meanwhile, three co-accused persons-Harriet Nakiguli, Joseph Nakabake, and Ezra Mayanja-maintained their innocence and denied the charges. The High Court has fixed September 8 for the commencement of their trial.