Septic tank murder: New judge takes over Onebe’s case

KAMPALA - A new judge has taken charge of a murder case in which businessman Francis Onebe is accused of killing his wife and later dumping her body in a septic tank.

Justice Rosette Comfort Kania took over the case after the previous judge, Micheal Elubu, declined to continue hearing the case, citing loss of confidence in his court by one of the parties.

Kania will continue from where Elubu, the head of the Criminal Division of the High Court, stopped, but a date for the hearing of the case has not yet been fixed. So far, 10 prosecution witnesses have testified in the matter.

On November 13, 2024, Elubu, recused himself from the case after the defence team led by Patrick Kasumba beseeched the court to take charge of the matter, rather than the state, to ensure impartiality.

“It is a tenet of our judicial system that justice must not only be done but it must also be seen to be done. The defence is insinuating that the court is biased and they have lost confidence in the court handling the matter,” Elubu earlier noted.

In such circumstances, he stated that judicial officers cannot impose themselves on parties lacking confidence in the court.

The squabble started when Kasumba alleged that the prosecutor, chief state attorney Sharifah Nalwanga, boasted about meeting with the judge (Elubu).

This, he said, led to a decision to have a witness (Pamela Mwebaze, the sister of the deceased) testify via audio-visual link without their consent.

Kasamba also requested the judge to expedite the trial, citing its lengthy duration of two-and-a-half years. Kasamba is assisted by David Oluka and Joshua Emorut.

Charges   

Onebe, 63, an accountant by profession, is accused of killing his wife, Immaculate Mary Blessing Aiso, and later dumping her body in a septic tank. 

The offence of murder elicits a maximum sentence of death, on conviction.

The businessman together with his security guard Bonny Oriekot, 26, have spent over two years on remand at Luzira Prison after being denied bail twice.

Background

On January 6, 2021, Onebe reported a case of his missing wife at Buziga Police Post and investigations commenced.

At the time, he claimed that his wife had been picked up by plainclothes operatives travelling in a ‘drone’ and taken to an unknown destination.

A week later, her body was recovered from a septic tank at the couple’s residence by a joint security team headed by the Crime Investigation Department of the Police.

Police preliminary investigations reveal that Onebe and wife Aiso had parted ways and after 14 years reunited and formally married until her murder.

Following a Police probe, Onebe was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife before Makindye Chief Magistrates Court and later committed to the High Court for trial after completion of investigations.

In the committal papers, the Director of Public Prosecutions reveals that Onebe and Aiso had a dispute over sorcery, resulting in her death.