The former Principal judge, Yorakamu Bamwine and the judiciary are on the spot for obstructive actions to achieve justice in the case of former Makerere University student, Desire Mirembe who was brutally murdered in cold blood in July 2015.
At the time, the former boyfriend of Mirembe, now the prime suspect who also confessed to the killing, Matthew Kirabo aka Wabulembu was arrested and charged with murder.
However the trial judge, Eve Luswata released Kirabo on grounds that he had to return to Makerere University to continue with his studies.
He had been remanded at Jinja Prison. Kirabo indeed went back to Makerere and graduated as a Medical doctor.
A top investigating officer in the case said that it was unclear why Kirabo would be released yet “we had gathered all the required evidence within two months.”
“For us as prosecution, we were ready to proceed but the judiciary dragged on and the suspect was bailed on the grounds that he goes back for studies,” the police officer says.
Police sources preferring anonymity complained that the case which consumed much of their time and resources gathering evidence would not be fixed for six years.
When the father of the deceased, Mr. Emmanuel Musoke complained to the then principal judge about the release and delay to refix the case of the killing of her daughter, the then Principal judge Bamwine said they had no budget for that case.
“I went to him three times and he repeatedly told me the judiciary did not have the money.
It was six years later in May this year Col Edith Nakalema intervened and Nzeija Flavian, the principal judge, worked to fix the case,” Mr. Musoke said.
The founder of Sisimuka Uganda Mr. Frank Gashumba who is assisting to push for justice in the case said that it is ridiculous that the judiciary could claim lack of funds yet there many other related cases committed within the same period but were all concluded.
He cited the murder case in which the son of former ISO boss was accused of murder, the case of businessman Mohammad Ssebuwufu and Mathew Kanyamunyu in which he killed by shooting a man at Lugogo.
“How did the judiciary manage to secure funds for latter cases? I highly suspect there was an invisible hand sitting on Mirembe’s case because they knew if the case went ahead the glaring evidence would send Kirabo to jail for life,” Gashumba asked.
Some of the evidence against Kirabo is the video recording in which he confessed to police how he planned and executed the killing of Mirembe.
The day the said video was played in court, everyone present was left cold and Justice Henry Kaweesa admitted it as exhibit.
In the video, Kirabo tells police why he was incensed to kill Mirembe. He reasoned that he was driven by the fact that the deceased had hooked up with another boyfriend.
The video also shows Kirabo leading the police to the scene of murder and how he hid the body and slitting the veins at the neck.
After a lull of six years, trial started on October 10, 2021 before Justice Henry Kaweesa. He had promised an expedited hearing and warned there should be no absenteeism.
“The judge was committed to dispose of the matter which had lagged for six years and he told the defense and prosecution that the case would be heard in 30 days.
This is quite exceptional. In some court session’s court convened up to as late as 5.30pm,” Mr. Musoke says.
By November 3, thirteen witnesses had already provided their witness accounts. Kirabo last appeared in court on October 29, 2021. Justice Kaweesa issued a warrant of arrest against Kirabo on November 3. He told the sureties including Kirabo’s mother Ms. Emelda Wabulendo, his uncle Benard Mbayo and a one Nelson who reportedly died.
On November 17, the sureties after a third abscondment were ordered to pay Shs. 150m shared equally as bond fees. The money was paid by Geoffrey Wabulembwe, the father of the killer, through Standard Chartered bank main branch in Kampala.
A lab technologist,Razak, was arrested last week and arraigned before a magistrate’s court and remanded for issuing faked Covid results which lawyers had used on 3rd November, the first time Kirabo skipped court.
– The big questions here should be; what took this case 6 years to be solved?
– How did Kirabo know how to direct detectives to where they found Desire’s body if he wasn’t the one who had dumped her there?
– If he isn’t the murderer and is as innocent as he claims, why is he on the run?
– It is ea sy for this family to hide their son and not let him face the full wrath of the law, and instead went on to raise UGX150M bail money in 4 hours!
All this has been done to frustrate this case and deny Desire’s family the justice they deserve!
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