Man given life sentence for abducting, murdering 5 year old boy

Wakiso, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The high court in Wakiso has sent a 28-year-old man to prison for life for abducting, demanding a ransom and murdering a five-year-old boy.

Justice Patricia Basaaze has sentenced Mukisa Deo to life imprisonment for kidnapping and killing Elvis Kibuule (5) whom he found at his parent’s home at Bulenga village Bugonya of Wakiso district in February last year.

The late Kibuule’s father identified as Ronald Kironde had earlier told court that despite the fact that the convict demanded for a ransom of sh250,000 which he paid, he went ahead to kill the young boy.

Mukisa was sentenced on his own plea of ‘guilty’ when he told court that he murdered the boy himself. The plea of ‘guilty’ however came after prosecution had aligned a number of witnesses pinning him for having committed the offence. It was the convict who led the police and other security agencies to the scene where he had dumped the boy’s remains but on reaching court he first denied the charges against him.

Justice Basaaze in her ruling stated that the punishment should be implemented without any provision of releasing the convict from custody.

“The action of the accused was inhuman and it is one of the many acts of abduction with intent to take  ransom from parents or with a purpose of child sacrifice,” the judge stated adding that it is court’s duty to do everything possible to deter people from doing it.

The boy’s body was wrapped in a mosquito net and dumped at Kireka Bbira after a week of abduction from where it was recovered by the police.

Prosecution told court that Mukisa was arrested by tracking the phone number which he used to demand for the ransom.

It should be recalled that Mukisa is facing another charge of murdering his girlfriend identified as Zulaika Namusoke an offence he allegedly committed in 2018.

Mukisa volunteered the information about the death of Namusoke during the investigations to recover Kibuule’s remains. However, the second murder case was not mentioned before the Wakiso high court judge.

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