BY MATHIUS KAHUNGU
High Court sitting at Rukoki in Kasese District has sentenced two men to 30 years in Mubuku Government Prison on two counts of murder and aggravated robbery.
Court sitting yesterday and presided over by the Fort-Portal High Court Judge, Hon. Justice Vincent Emmy Mugabo heard that on November 14, 2026, while at Kikorongo in Kasese District, Justus Byaruhanga alias Livingstone Byamungu and TribioRugasira attacked Simba Safari Hotel, stole two laptops, unspecified amount money in both Uganda shillings and US Dollars and subsequently killed two police officers and fled the scene with their guns.
The deceased police officers were identified as PC Danson Tweheyo and PC Ronald Kalemera both attached to the tourism police.
After the incident, police started investigations leading to the arrest of Justus Byaruhanga, a resident of Lyantonde district.
He was arrested from Mbarara on allegations of aggravated robbery using an AK 47 gun that belonged to one of the deceased police men. He was then taken to Sheema where he led the detectives to a mosque that was under construction where another gun with an empty magazine was also recovered.
Upon further interrogation, he revealed that they had a master minder and leader of their group who was in Koboko District.
Police through her intelligence system discovered TribioRugasira in KobokoGovernment Prisonwhere he had been held on charges of criminal trespass and theft. He was later transferred to Kasese district to help in the investigations connecting him to the Simba Safari Hotel attack.
Prosecution provided sufficient evidence that found the duo guilty. Court then slapped them with a 30-year-prison sentence on two counts of murder and a 15-year sentence on three counts of aggravated robbery to be served concurrently.
The Judge also ordered the convicts to each pay shillings 3,518,000 to the complainant, adding that failure to pay the said sum of money would attract an additional one year -year sentence to them. ENDS