Lira murder trial set to resume after delays over missing court records

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The Lira High Court is set to resume the hearing of murder and aggravated robbery charges against Ambrose Ayo on Thursday (May 7, 2026), following an earlier adjournment caused by the absence of court assessors and missing case records.

The case had failed to proceed on April 29, 2026, despite the prosecution presenting a witness, with presiding judge Sarah Birungi Kalibbala unable to continue due to incomplete documentation.

Earlier proceedings conducted by a visiting judge were not available in the court file, having been recorded on a personal laptop and not formally submitted.

Court officials said the registrar has been tasked with contacting the visiting judge to secure the missing records ahead of the next hearing.

In the instant case, Ayo is accused of murdering Kennedy Engim on August 27, 2022, in Lira city, allegedly striking him with a hammer before robbing him of his motorcycle. He faces additional counts of aggravated robbery and has several other cases pending before the court.

The prosecution indicated it remains confident of securing a conviction once the trial resumes.

Motorcycle theft ring

The charges against Ayo are rooted in a series of police operations targeting a suspected criminal network behind violent robberies of boda boda riders across the Lango sub-region.

In August 2022, a joint security operation in Oyam district recovered nine suspected stolen motorcycles, six of them from Ayo’s residence.

Investigators linked some of the motorcycles to killings, including that of Kennedy Engim in Lira city and another victim, Albert Etum, who was similarly attacked and killed on Kabalega road.

A third motorcycle was reportedly stolen from a churchgoer in Apac district.

At the time, Ayo and another suspect, Maxwell Ocen, were named as key suspects and went on the run.

Further operations in May 2023 by the Flying Squad Unit led to the arrest of four suspected gang members in Oyam district. During interrogation, the suspects allegedly identified Ayo as the ringleader of a group accused of targeting boda boda riders using deception and violent attacks to steal motorcycles.

Police reported recovering 18 additional motorcycles, mainly Bajaj Boxer and Yamaha models, from Ayo’s home, pointing to what authorities described as a well-organised criminal enterprise.

Investigators say the gang’s modus operandi involved luring riders with seemingly legitimate transport requests before ambushing them and stealing their motorcycles.

Case continues

With multiple files still pending and key records yet to be consolidated, the case remains one of the most closely followed criminal trials linked to violent attacks on boda boda riders in northern Uganda.

The court is expected to resume hearing once all required documentation is in place and assessors are present.