Two Egyptian nationals jailed 22 years for murdering colleague in Soroti

What the report says

The High Court in Soroti has sentenced two Egyptian nationals, Muhamed Nabil Mohammed Ali Shokr and Fahim Abdlhalim Abbas Badawy, to 22 years in prison after they pleaded guilty to killing their colleague, Mahmoud Ahmed Zinhom Ibrahim Selim, in February 2024. The Observer reported that Selim was a kitchenware businessman and that his body was later found beneath Awoja bridge after being dumped there during the night.

Court evidence, as summarized by the newspaper, said the case originally involved four accused people. Prosecutors alleged that the group went to Selim’s home in Soroti, where a fight broke out and one suspect struck him with an iron bar. The body was then wrapped, loaded into a vehicle and taken to Awoja bridge. Investigators recovered the remains nine days after the killing, after a co-accused led police to the scene.

One of the original suspects, identified as Shank, pleaded guilty as an accessory after the fact and was removed from the murder charge after cooperating with investigators. Justice Boniface Wamala said the crime was serious and deserved a deterrent sentence. After accounting for time already spent on remand, the judge said each of the two convicted men would serve just under 19 years and eight months.

The court also granted bail to Mohamood Ahmed, saying there was not enough evidence to keep him in custody on the murder charge. His case was adjourned to August 17, 2026. The case highlights how Ugandan courts handle murder pleas and sentencing in serious violent crimes.