BREAKING: Two Sentenced to Death, Seven Get Life Imprisonment Over Susan Magara Murder

What the report says

The High Court in Kampala has sentenced two people convicted in the kidnap and murder of Ugandan businesswoman Susan Magara to death, while seven others received life imprisonment. The ruling followed final submissions from prosecutors, defence lawyers and Magara’s relatives on the appropriate punishment in the long-running case.

According to Nile Post, the two given death sentences are Hajara Nakandi and Musa Abaas Buwembo. The court also ordered that land and vehicles allegedly purchased with ransom money be confiscated, sold and the proceeds transferred to Magara’s family. Justice Alex Mackay Ajiiji said the order was meant to prevent the convicts from benefiting from the crime.

The prosecution said the group carried out a planned abduction, torture and killing, and told court that Magara’s family had paid a ransom of $200,000, about Shs700 million at the time. The state also argued that the accused used the ransom proceeds to buy property. The defence asked for leniency, saying sentencing should reflect each person’s role and that many were first-time offenders.

The case stems from Magara’s abduction in Mengo, Kampala, on February 7, 2018. She was held for about 20 days before being killed, and her body was later found in Kigo, Wakiso District, according to the report. The case drew wide public attention in Uganda and remains one of the country’s most high-profile kidnap-for-ransom killings.