Dr Matthew Kirabo has filed a notice of Appeal in the High Court in Mukono putting it on notice about his intentions to appeal the 30 year jail term handed to him for murder of his girlfriend Desire Mirembe.
Kirabo through his lawyers of M/S Henry Kunya and Company Advocates and M/S Kasumba, Kugonza and Company Advocates says he is dissatisfied with his conviction and subsequent sentence and as such, is seeking certified copies of proceedings to enable him formulate the grounds of appeal in the Court of Appeal.
According to the documents seen by Our Reporter, Kirabo intends to be present at the hearing of the appeal.
“Take notice that Kirabo Matthew appeals to the Court of Appeal of Uganda against the decision of the learned trial Judge, the Honorable Mr Justice Henry I Kaweesa given at the High Court of Uganda in Mukono on 30th day of May 2022 and subsequent sentencing on the 21st day of November 2023 by which the appellant was convicted on the charge of murder and sentenced to 30 years in prisons”, reads the documents.
Kirabo murdered 19 year old Mirembe who was a Student of Makerere University shortly after picking her from Ark Hostel in Katanga where she was residing. They later went to the mall in Kampala to solve some relationship misunderstanding as lovers before heading to Lugazi in Buikwe District where her body was found decomposing in a sugarcane plantation.
The then fugitive who had turned elusive after securing bail ran away from the trial and was eventually arrested in Kenya after a warrant of arrest was issued against him. He was accordingly extradited to Uganda in September 2023 to face justice.
Prior to his sentencing, the Court proceeded in his absence and his sureties paid 150 million shillings. The Prosecution adduced overwhelming evidence to show that Kirabo murdered his girlfriend Mirembe and also made a confession in a video which was recorded by the investigators in this matter.
Although Kirabo is appealing his jail term, several people have since indicated that his behavior and conduct especially during the trial is such a criminal whom the Court should have handed a death sentence or at worst, a life in prison sentence.
