The Kampala City Hall Court has remanded four men to Luzira Prison in connection with the killing of Uganda Rugby Cranes player Sydney Gyabi Gongodyo.
The accused are Obed Mugwisa, 39, a boda boda rider and resident of Nsimbiziwome Zone in Nakawa division; Elly Mondoni, 33, a delivery agent with Medicinal Pharmacy and resident of Port Bell road in Luzira; Joseph Owino, 30, a private security guard and resident of Bukoto; and Henry Kabugo, 21, a boda boda rider and resident of Old Kira Zone in Bukoto.
The four appeared before senior grade one magistrate Edgar Karakire on Friday and were charged with murder. According to the charge sheet sanctioned under Kira Road Police Station CRB 619/2026, the accused and others still at large allegedly murdered Gongodyo on June 5, 2026, at Upper Naguru East Road in Kampala.
As murder is a capital offence, the accused were not allowed to enter pleas. Magistrate Karakire read the charges to them and explained that his court lacks jurisdiction to try capital offences, which are exclusively handled by the High court.
The prosecution, led by Grace Akite, informed the court that investigations are still ongoing. Akite said police are still pursuing other suspects believed to have been involved in the killing and requested an adjournment to allow investigators to complete their inquiries and effect further arrests.
During the proceedings, Mugwisa, described by police as the prime suspect, asked the court about the timeframe for the case. He was informed that the matter would return to the magistrate’s court for mention as investigations continue before being committed to the High court for trial.
Karakire subsequently remanded the four accused to Luzira Prison until June 23, when the case will come up for mention and an update on the progress of investigations.
Following Gongodyo’s death on June 5, detectives attached to Kira Road Police Station launched investigations to establish the circumstances under which he was killed.
The rugby player was pronounced dead at Mulago National Referral Hospital, where he had been rushed after sustaining injuries in an assault. Preliminary police findings indicate that Gongodyo was allegedly subjected to mob justice after being accused of snatching a woman’s handbag.
According to police, Mugwisa later led investigators to a local laundry where he had taken the yellow T-shirt he was allegedly wearing on the day of the incident.
The garment was recovered and has since been added to the evidence collected by investigators. Police said Mugwisa was arrested from a hideout in Nsimbiziwome, Ntinda.
Ten people were initially arrested in connection with the killing, but only four have so far been charged and presented before court. Under Ugandan law, murder carries a maximum sentence of death upon conviction.