Police officer sentenced over murder

High court in Kabale on Tuesday sentenced a police officer to 35 years imprisonment over murdering his fellow policeman.

Court presided over by Justice Moses Kawuma Kazibwe heard from prosecution led by the Residents senior state attorney, Batson Baguma that on 17th May 2013 at around 09:00 pm while at Nteko Tourism police post in Nyabushenya Sub county, Kisoro District, Gideon Niwamanya, 24 years unlawfully shot dead his fellow police officer Gilbert Musasizi, No. 58346 PC also attached to the same police post.

Niwamanya was accused of failure to perform his duties of keeping law and order. The convict pleaded guilty of the charges and asked court to give him a lenient punishment since he had been on remand for four years, and the deceased was his friend.

While passing on his judgment, Justice Kazibwe said that the convict's work was to keep law and order and the maximum sentence of murder cases is death, but considering the time the convict had been on remand and not wasting court's time by pleading guilty, he sentenced him to 31 years in Ndorwa government prison.