Murder suspect's prayer outburst disrupts court

Aug 08, 2015

A woman accused of killing her husband and children, disrupts court proceedings when she suddenly starts praying loudly in court.


By Emmanuel Luganda

KAMPALA - A murder suspect disrupted court proceedings when she suddenly started praying loudly as a witness testified against her.

Edith Kayaga, who has been on remand since 2013, is alleged to have killed her husband Ismail Kawooya and her two daughters.

She brought the Nakawa High Court session to a standstill with her prayer interruption at a time when witness Sgt. Joseph Otim was giving his account.

Otim, who is attached to parliament, told court that on the fateful night, he received a call from Sgt. Denis Ochom who instructed him to rush to the scene.

There, he found three burnt bodies (Kayaga’s husband and two children). Kayaga, he testified, was nowhere to be seen at the time.

As the police officer displayed the graphic images of the charred bodies taken by the police, the suspect standing in the dock suddenly burst into a fit of prayers while holding a rosary.

She prayed in vernacular (Luganda), maintaining her innocence. “God, you know the truth. I know I did not kill my husband and children,” she prayed on top of her voice.

The interruption prompted Justice Wilson Musene to send the court into a 10-minute break as lawyer Anthony Wameri cautioned his client.

Earlier, another witness, Stephen Bugembe who is a commuter motorcyclist (bodaboda), told court that he drove Kayaga to Mulago Hospital after she had torched the house.

"As we were still fighting to rescue three people from the burning house, Kayaga approached me and asked me to rush her to Mulago Hospital to get treatment," he testified.

He revealed that Kayaga, who was her landlady, asked money for treatment from him, saying that all her money had been burnt in the house.

"I rode her to my shop in Najjera and gave her sh20,000 before proceeding to Mulago," he added, as the suspect wept inside the dock.

The case was adjourned until next week, on August 13.

Kayaga is facing three charges of murder: that of her husband, Ismail Kawooya, 47, and their two children; Shakra Nakubulwa (5) and Saidah Namale.

She is also facing another charge of arson after she allegedly willfully and unlawfully set fire to the dwelling house, the property of the late Kawooya.

The accused committed the offences on June 2, 2013, at about 2am local time in Buwate-Najjera, Wakiso district.

She was charged in March 2014 before Nakawa Court Grade One Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu and remanded to Luzira prison until February 7 this year when she was committed to the High Court for trial.

According to prosecution, Kayaga locked up her husband and two children in the house before setting it ablaze. At the time, Kawooya, a father of seven, conducted business at Nakawa Market.
 

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