The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The High Court Criminal Division Judge Isaac Muwata has convicted three guards of Pastor Jackson Ssenyonga, the owner of Christian Life Church, and sent them to Luzira prison to serve different sentences after finding them guilty of aggravated robbery.
One of the guards Ali Ojulango has been convicted in absentia and will be handed his sentence upon arrest by the Uganda Police Force whereas Godfrey Mwanda, also known as Kefa and Israel Wasswa, will serve five and two years respectively.
The fourth convict, a chapati maker Ivan Wanyama, has been handed the highest sentence of ten years in jail since he was the most violent person in the crime when they robbed a church goer Sam Mukula of his mobile phone valued and 500,000 shillings cash.
The jail terms have been handed to them based on their different levels of participation in the crime.
The court heard that this incident took place on June 8th 2018 at Christian Life Church in Makerere Kavule when the convicts who were armed with blunt objects robbed Mukula of the said property before causing him permanent injuries on his stomach and arm, which were deemed grievous harm.
The court has also heard that Mukula was one of the church members who always congregated at Christian Life church and by the time of the robbery, he had gone for evening prayers.
But the prosecution led by Jonathan Muwaganya presented evidence from four witnesses whom the judge has found to have ably placed the convicts at the scene of crime although they had earlier denied to having been there.
The judge found that the convicts had given defence full of inconsistencies since one of them said they were not at the scene but another confessed to have been at the church with his co convicts by the time the crime took place.
According to the judge, although the convicts indicated that it was dark and the witnesses couldn’t have seen them, the crime occurred at a church and there was sufficient light for the witness to identify them while they committed the crime.
After convicting them, the State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya asked for a death penalty arguing that it should deter other people from committing such crimes.
“In addition, we ask court to consider the fact that the victim was a church goer, a Christian who expected comfort and just treatment at the place of worship,” said Muwaganya. “My Lord the Church is like a hospital. It is a treatment place of the broken hearted all the people there have the duty to tolerate, love and treat people fairly regardless of their circumstances.”
Quoting Biblical teachings on punishment, Muwaganya alluded to Ecclesiastes Chapter 8 verse 11 saying that when crime is not punished people feel it’s safe to do wrong.
He thus asked for a deterrent sentence saying that the convicts who were servants at the church exhibited violent extremism which reflects badly and they should thus be punished for their crimes.
Muwaganya also prayed for a warrant of arrest against Ojulango which court has issued.
But on their part, the convicts argued that they are first time offenders, sole bread winners at home also in their youthful ages and therefore able to reform once released to go back to the community.
They further asked the court to consider the time they spent on remand before they were given given bail.
The convicts have also pleaded to being remorseful throughout the entire trial and wanted justice to be effected in this case while some argued that they have pregnant wives who need their care.
The judge said he considered all these factors before handing them down their respective sentences.
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