The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Alex Twinomujuni, 50, has petitioned the High Court Civil Division in Kampala to release him unconditionally after completing his jail term for the murder of Tooro Prince, Happy Kijanangoma. According to his application, Twinomujuni contends that he was convicted to suffer death together with the former Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister, John Katuramu on September 12th, 2001 for the murder of Kijanangoma.
He however says that the Supreme Court quashed the sentence following an appeal by Susan Kigula challenging the death sentence. As result, the Supreme court remitted his death sentence to 20 years in prison. Twinomujuni contends that prior to his sentence, the Directorate of Public Prosecution charged him with another murder case on April 14th, 2000 whose details are scanty.
He completed the 20-year-jail term on September 12th, 2021. He explains that his co-accused like Katuramu were released leaving him in prison. According to Twinomujuni, he is stuck in prison on grounds that the first file on which he was charged before Kijanangoma’s murder is non-existent both at Buganda Road Magistrates Court and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The evidence on the court record shows that Twinomujuni has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions, State Attorneys in Law Development Centre, Buganda Road Magistrate’s Courts, and police to have the charges dropped in vain. He says that the regional DPP office instead wrote to the State Attorney in the LDC and OC CID Wandegeya directing them to trace for the file in their archives and forward it to her for determination within two weeks.
“The Divisional Criminal Investigations Department at Wandegeya responded in writing to the Director CID at CID headquarters whom he claimed in his letter dated October 29th, 2021 to have taken over the case in 1999”, reads Twinomujuni’s affidavit in part. It adds that, “as the matter stands now, I am still kept and detained in prison after 22 years on remand, only on a prison warrant”.
Twinomujuni, who sent Geoffrey Turyamusiima to represent him before Justice Musa Ssekaana contends that such mistreatment offends the constitution, an unfortunate infringement upon his rights to equal protection of the law and the right to a fair hearing. Twinomujuni now wants the High Court to declare that the delay to try him for 22 years is unconstitutional, null, and void, and accordingly award him damages and set him free.
The DPP spokesperson Jacqueline Okui told URN in a text that “Committal of suspects to the High Court for trial by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is usually done upon the completion of investigations into capital cases by the police, who then forward the case files to our office for that purpose.”
Adding that, “We are tracing for the case file in respect of the matter to take note of its status and thereafter take appropriate action.” Civil Division High Court Judge, Musa Ssekaana will hear the matter on February 9th, 2022.
*****
URN
