Masaka High Court has sentenced notorious murder and robbery suspect Musa Ggaliwango to 35 years in prison after finding him guilty of murder and aggravated robbery charges linked to a 2017 attack in Masaka City.
Ggaliwango was convicted alongside his three accomplices, Innocent Nakabaale, Joseph Teruteesa alias Lafair, and Geoffrey Lubega, following a special criminal session presided over by Justice Charles Kasibayo at the High Court in Masaka.
The four were jointly tried over two counts of murder and aggravated robbery arising from an attack at Kabonera Trading Centre in Kimanya-Kabonera Division, Masaka City, in September 2017.
Court heard that the convicts, armed with pangas and machetes, raided the home and business premises of Geoffrey Kulabako, where he operated a music and video library as well as a slot gaming machine business. During the attack, the gang allegedly stole Shs700,000 before turning violent.
According to the prosecution, led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Brian Kalinaki, Kulabako managed to escape and raised an alarm, prompting residents to respond. However, one of the responders, Godfrey Mujumba, was immediately hacked to death by the attackers. Another victim, Ibrahim Kulabako, was severely assaulted and later died from injuries sustained during the attack after being admitted to hospital.
Kalinaki told court that investigations and witness testimonies firmly linked the accused persons to the crimes, adding that some surviving victims were able to positively identify the suspects after their arrest.
Although the accused denied the charges throughout the trial, they did not present any evidence in their defence that could exonerate them.
Ggaliwango gained notoriety after his arrest in 2018 as one of the suspected members of a criminal gang that terrorised villages across Bukomansimbi, Kalungu, and Lwengo districts through a series of violent robberies and murders.
He was arrested together with another suspect, Muhammad Kiddawalime, following attacks on four villages in Bukomansimbi District on New Year’s Eve in 2017, during which five members of the same family were killed, including retired senior police officer Denis Ssebuggwawo.
Despite the latest conviction, Ggaliwango and several other suspects still on remand are expected to face trial over additional murder and aggravated robbery cases connected to the same wave of attacks in the greater Masaka sub-region.
