Makerere Student To Hang For Murder

By Hillary Nsambu THE High Court yesterday sentenced to death one of the two former Makerere University students for murdering a fellow student in 1994. Justice Moses Mukiibi convicted Shadrak Magara Rwakasisi, saying it had been satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he intentionally killed Warren Bantariza by strangulation at Botanical Gardens, Entebbe. In his two-and-a-half hour judgement, the judge, however, acquitted Samuel Wanje who had been jointly accused of the same offence, saying the Prosecution had failed to produce evidence to prove he actually took part in the offence. Bantariza, who was a 3rd year Bachelor of Arts student at Makerere University main campus was the son of Buhweju County Member of Parliament (MP) Francis Rutagarama Bantariza. Wanje was a student at the Business School at Nakawa campus while Magara is a former student at the Faculty of Law. The judge agreed with George Emesu, Wanje's lawyer that the accused was not even an accessory in Bantariza's murder, although Magara had implicated him in his confession statement to the Police. The court had heard that a British Indian businessman, Vik Phancel hired Wanje and Magara to abduct Bantariza who had allegedly failed to pay large amount of money from a business dealing. Phancel had also provided some poisonous substance which they mixed in some take-away food which they gave Bantariza to eat in order to take him to Phancel without resistance. The court also heard that when Bantariza became unconscious after eating the food, the accused tied a rope around his neck and threw his body over a cliff at Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Entebbe on November 23, 1994. The judge said Magara on his own decided to accelerated Bantariza's death by tying a rope around his neck. He did this after realising that he was in a mess and asked Wanje to help him put the body into the boot of the car he had hired earlier so that they could take it and throw it over the cliff. Magara had confessed to killing Bantariza by strangulation and driving over him twice. The body was discovered several days after Bantariza died. Ends