The High court in Soroti has sentenced two Egyptian nationals to 22 years in prison after they pleaded guilty to murdering their colleague, Mahmoud Ahmed Zinhom Ibrahim Selim, in February 2024.
Muhamed Nabil Mohammed Ali Shokr and Fahim Abdlhalim Abbas Badawy were convicted of murdering Selim, a kitchenware businessman, before dumping his body beneath Awoja bridge.
The case initially involved four accused persons: Shokr, Badawy, Mahamed Mahmoud Ahmed, also known as Shank, and Mohamood Ahmed. Court heard that on the day of the incident, Shokr, Badawy and Shank travelled to Zinhom’s residence in a Pajero, registration number UBH 628Q, belonging to Mohamood Ahmed.
At the time, Zinhom was away on a trip but had informed his neighbour, Mark Wilson Kisolo, that his friends would be visiting and requested him to allow them into the house. Kisolo later opened the residence after receiving a call from Shokr.
As Zinhom travelled back to Soroti, Shank contacted him to confirm his whereabouts before briefly leaving the house to repair a flat tyre. When he returned about an hour later, he found Zinhom lying in a pool of blood.
According to evidence presented in court, Shank was told that a fight had broken out between Zinhom and Badawy, during which Badawy struck the deceased with an iron bar.
The court heard that Shokr and Badawy wrapped Zinhom’s body in a blanket and ordered Shank to open the vehicle’s boot. They allegedly told him they were taking the victim to hospital.
Instead, the pair sat in the back seat while threatening Shank with a knife and ordered him to drive to Awoja bridge, where they dumped the body into the river under the cover of darkness.
Following Zinhom’s disappearance, concerned neighbours reported the matter to police. Investigators later arrested Shank, who led detectives to Awoja bridge, where Zinhom’s body was recovered nine days after the killing. His cooperation subsequently led to the arrest of the other suspects.
During the trial, Shank admitted his involvement and pleaded guilty. The prosecution subsequently amended the indictment, withdrawing the murder charge against him and instead charging him as an accessory after the fact to murder.
Justice Boniface Wamala accepted his plea, noting that he had cooperated with investigators, was a first-time offender and demonstrated prospects for rehabilitation.
Taking into account the time he had already spent on remand, the judge discharged him from the murder charge. He later testified as the prosecution’s key witness against Shokr and Badawy.
Faced with Shank’s testimony, Shokr and Badawy also admitted responsibility and pleaded guilty, asking the court for forgiveness.
The prosecution argued that the two had unlawfully caused Zinhom’s death and attempted to conceal the crime by cleaning the scene and disposing of the body. Prosecutors asked the court to impose a 25-year custodial sentence.
Defence lawyer Francis Ajuun pleaded for leniency, arguing that the pair were first-time offenders who had pleaded guilty without wasting the court’s time. He also urged the court to consider the period they had already spent on remand.
In sentencing the two, Justice Wamala described the offence as grave and brutal, saying it warranted a deterrent punishment.
“Having prayed for leniency and for forgiveness, each of you has been sentenced to 22 years. Upon deduction of the two years and four months spent on remand, each will serve 19 years, seven months and two days,” the judge ruled.
Meanwhile, the court granted Mohamood Ahmed a non-cash bail of Shs 5 million after finding insufficient evidence to continue holding him on the murder charge. His case was adjourned to August 17, 2026.