Justice Alex Mackay Ajiji on Monday found Yusuf Lubega, Mahad Kisalita, Ismail Bukenya, Abubaker Kyewokya, Hassan Wasswa, Abbas Musa Buwembo, Hussein Kato Miiro, Hajjara Nakandi and Muzamir Ssali guilty of kidnapping Magara with intent to procure a ransom before murdering her after holding her captive for nearly three weeks.
The nine had been jointly charged with kidnap with intent to procure a ransom and murder. The prosecution said they abducted Magara from Lungujja, Kampala, on February 7, 2018, before killing her between February 25 and 27, 2018, at Konge. They all denied the charges.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Ajiji ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused jointly planned and executed the kidnapping, held Magara in captivity, demanded a ransom from her family, severed two of her fingers to force payment and later killed her because she had become a liability capable of identifying her captors.
Court heard that at about 7:50 pm on February 7, 2018, Magara was speaking on the phone to her friend, Yusuf Muhindo, when he suddenly heard a violent struggle. Muhindo testified that Magara screamed in Luganda, “Temunkuba” (“Don’t beat me”), before he heard two male voices. The call lasted for about 40 seconds before it was disconnected.
Muhindo immediately alerted police and later informed Magara’s family. That same night, Magara’s Toyota RAV4, registration number UAJ 790W, was found abandoned in Lungujja with its engine still running while her mobile phones remained inside the vehicle.
Justice Ajiji said the screams heard during the call, coupled with the abandoned vehicle, established that Magara had been forcibly taken against her will.
Court heard that on February 8, 2018, the kidnappers began contacting Magara’s family, initially demanding between $1 million and $1.5 million in ransom.
Following negotiations with her father, John Magara, the demand was reduced to $200,000 (about Shs 700 million), which the family eventually paid. However, the payment did not secure the release of the 28-year-old cashier at Bwendero Dairy Farm.
Evidence before court showed that between February 15 and 17, 2018, the kidnappers twice attempted to collect the ransom but abandoned both operations after suspecting police involvement.
On February 19, 2018, John Magara was instructed to collect a package from a fuel station. The parcel contained two severed fingers belonging to his daughter and a flash disk labelled “Must Watch.”
The flash disk contained a video showing Magara pleading with her father to pay the kidnappers’ demands.
Digital forensic examiner Enock Kanene authenticated the video, while forensic laboratory analysis confirmed that the severed fingers belonged to Magara.
Justice Ajiji said forensic evidence established that Magara was still alive when her fingers were cut off, describing the act as deliberate torture intended to pressure the family into paying the ransom.
Court further heard that on February 23, 2018, Florence Magara delivered the negotiated ransom of $200,000 at Kanaaba in Ndejje, following instructions from the kidnappers.
Despite receiving the money, the kidnappers did not release Magara. Her body was recovered on February 27, 2018, at Kitiko-Birongo village along the Entebbe Expressway. A postmortem examination found that two fingers were missing and concluded that she died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation.
The prosecution, led by chief state attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo alongside Irene Nakimbugwe and Sharifah Nalwanga, called 45 witnesses. The court also summoned one additional witness from the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), bringing the total number of prosecution witnesses to 46. The defence called 20 witnesses.
Prosecutors also relied on more than 80 exhibits, including communication records, DNA reports, forensic laboratory reports, postmortem reports, crime scene reports, scene reconstruction videos, bank statements, land purchase agreements and motor vehicle ownership records.
Justice Ajiji placed significant reliance on the testimony of telecommunications forensic expert Frank Nyakairu, whose analysis of phone records showed the accused remained in constant communication before, during and after the kidnapping.
The communication data also placed several of the accused at ransom collection points and other locations linked to the crime.
The court further relied on evidence that some of the accused led investigators to locations where Magara had been held, ransom collection points and the site where her body was dumped, holding that such information could only have been known by people directly involved in the offences.
Justice Ajiji also found that several of the convicts acquired expensive assets soon after the ransom was paid, including land in Buikwe and Luweero districts, commercial trucks and other motor vehicles.
He ruled that the explanations they offered for the source of the funds were vague and unsupported, making the acquisitions strong circumstantial evidence that they had benefited from the ransom proceeds.
The defence, led by Richard Kumbuga, argued that the prosecution had failed to directly link the accused to the crimes, challenged the reliability of the telecommunications evidence and maintained that the alleged masterminds, Yakub Byensi and Hakim Lugolobi, remain at large.
However, Justice Ajiji rejected those arguments, holding that the communication records, forensic evidence, financial records, witness testimony and the conduct of the accused established a complete chain of evidence proving their common intention and participation in the offences.
He ruled that the group jointly planned the abduction, held Magara captive for nearly three weeks, severed her fingers to compel payment of the ransom and ultimately killed her because she was capable of identifying them.
The judge noted that although the alleged masterminds, Yakub Byensi and Hakim Lugolobi, remain at large, their absence does not diminish the criminal responsibility of the nine convicts, whose participation in the offences had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.
The court is expected to hear mitigation before passing sentence on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
The Criminal Division in Kampala has convicted nine people over the kidnap and murder of Susan Magara, daughter of businessman John Magara, bringing to a close one of Uganda’s most high-profile criminal trials. Nine
Justice Alex Mackay Ajiji on Monday found Yusuf Lubega, Mahad Kisalita, Ismail Bukenya, Abubaker Kyewokya, Hassan Wasswa, Abbas Musa Buwembo, Hussein Kato Miiro, Hajjara Nakandi and Muzamir Ssali guilty of kidnapping Magara with intent to procure a ransom before murdering her after holding her captive for nearly three weeks.
The nine had been jointly charged with kidnap with intent to procure a ransom and murder. The prosecution said they abducted Magara from Lungujja, Kampala, on February 7, 2018, before killing her between February 25 and 27, 2018, at Konge. They all denied the charges.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Ajiji ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused jointly planned and executed the kidnapping, held Magara in captivity, demanded a ransom from her family, severed two of her fingers to force payment and later killed her because she had become a liability capable of identifying her captors.
Court heard that at about 7:50 pm on February 7, 2018, Magara was speaking on the phone to her friend, Yusuf Muhindo, when he suddenly heard a violent struggle. Muhindo testified that Magara screamed in Luganda, “Temunkuba” (“Don’t beat me”), before he heard two male voices. The call lasted for about 40 seconds before it was disconnected.
Muhindo immediately alerted police and later informed Magara’s family. That same night, Magara’s Toyota RAV4, registration number UAJ 790W, was found abandoned in Lungujja with its engine still running while her mobile phones remained inside the vehicle.
Justice Ajiji said the screams heard during the call, coupled with the abandoned vehicle, established that Magara had been forcibly taken against her will. Court heard that on February 8, 2018, the kidnappers began contacting Magara’s family, initially demanding between $1 million and $1.5 million in ransom.
Following negotiations with her father, John Magara, the demand was reduced to $200,000 (about Shs 700 million), which the family eventually paid. However, the payment did not secure the release of the 28-year-old cashier at Bwendero Dairy Farm.
Evidence before court showed that between February 15 and 17, 2018, the kidnappers twice attempted to collect the ransom but abandoned both operations after suspecting police involvement.
On February 19, 2018, John Magara was instructed to collect a package from a fuel station. The parcel contained two severed fingers belonging to his daughter and a flash disk labelled “Must Watch.”
The flash disk contained a video showing Magara pleading with her father to pay the kidnappers’ demands. Digital forensic examiner Enock Kanene authenticated the video, while forensic laboratory analysis confirmed that the severed fingers belonged to Magara.
Justice Ajiji said forensic evidence established that Magara was still alive when her fingers were cut off, describing the act as deliberate torture intended to pressure the family into paying the ransom.
Court further heard that on February 23, 2018, Florence Magara delivered the negotiated ransom of $200,000 at Kanaaba in Ndejje, following instructions from the kidnappers.
Despite receiving the money, the kidnappers did not release Magara. Her body was recovered on February 27, 2018, at Kitiko-Birongo village along the Entebbe Expressway. A postmortem examination found that two fingers were missing and concluded that she died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation.
The prosecution, led by chief state attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo alongside Irene Nakimbugwe and Sharifah Nalwanga, called 45 witnesses. The court also summoned one additional witness from the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), bringing the total number of prosecution witnesses to 46. The defence called 20 witnesses.
Prosecutors also relied on more than 80 exhibits, including communication records, DNA reports, forensic laboratory reports, postmortem reports, crime scene reports, scene reconstruction videos, bank statements, land purchase agreements and motor vehicle ownership records.
Justice Ajiji placed significant reliance on the testimony of telecommunications forensic expert Frank Nyakairu, whose analysis of phone records showed the accused remained in constant communication before, during and after the kidnapping.
The communication data also placed several of the accused at ransom collection points and other locations linked to the crime.
The court further relied on evidence that some of the accused led investigators to locations where Magara had been held, ransom collection points and the site where her body was dumped, holding that such information could only have been known by people directly involved in the offences.
Justice Ajiji also found that several of the convicts acquired expensive assets soon after the ransom was paid, including land in Buikwe and Luweero districts, commercial trucks and other motor vehicles.
He ruled that the explanations they offered for the source of the funds were vague and unsupported, making the acquisitions strong circumstantial evidence that they had benefited from the ransom proceeds.
The defence, led by Richard Kumbuga, argued that the prosecution had failed to directly link the accused to the crimes, challenged the reliability of the telecommunications evidence and maintained that the alleged masterminds, Yakub Byensi and Hakim Lugolobi, remain at large.
However, Justice Ajiji rejected those arguments, holding that the communication records, forensic evidence, financial records, witness testimony and the conduct of the accused established a complete chain of evidence proving their common intention and participation in the offences.
He ruled that the group jointly planned the abduction, held Magara captive for nearly three weeks, severed her fingers to compel payment of the ransom and ultimately killed her because she was capable of identifying them.
The judge noted that although the alleged masterminds, Yakub Byensi and Hakim Lugolobi, remain at large, their absence does not diminish the criminal responsibility of the nine convicts, whose participation in the offences had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.
The court is expected to hear mitigation before passing sentence on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.