Nine convicted over Susan Magara murder face sentencing as prosecution seeks death penalty

What the report says

The High Court has started sentencing proceedings for nine people convicted in the 2018 kidnapping and killing of Ugandan businesswoman Susan Magara, with prosecutors urging the court to impose the death penalty. Nile Post reports that Justice Alex Mackay Ajiiji is presiding over the phase after the court found all nine guilty of kidnapping with intent to procure a ransom and the resulting murder.

According to the prosecution, the attack was carefully planned, carried out for money and marked by extreme cruelty. Magara was abducted in Mengo, Kampala, on February 7, 2018, held for about 20 days, and later killed on February 27. Her body was found in Kigo, Wakiso District, near the Entebbe Expressway. Court was told that the kidnappers cut off two fingers, sent them to her family with a flash drive showing part of the abuse, and kept demanding payment.

The report says the family eventually paid $200,000, but Magara was still killed. Prosecutors also asked the court to order recovery of property they say was bought with ransom proceeds, including land and vehicles, arguing the money was used to benefit the convicted group. The state portrayed the case as a coordinated operation that used multiple SIM cards, changed drop-off points and monitored the family during ransom delivery.

The sentencing outcome has broader significance because the case became one of Uganda’s most closely watched kidnapping and murder prosecutions. The defence was represented by Richard Kumbuga, while the public article did not indicate when sentencing would conclude.