By KT Reporter
The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has committed Chinese national Dai Jie to the High Court to stand trial for the alleged murder of his business partner, Yang Wen Li.
Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi on Thursday committed Dai Jie following the completion of police investigations and submission of committal papers by the State.
According to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dai Jie and the deceased were partners at Top Hair Group Ltd, a beauty products business located at Galilaya Plaza in Kampala’s central division. The two also shared an apartment at Haidah Plaza, Level 5, Ben Kiwanuka Street.
The indictment indicates that on July 6, 2024, Yang left their business premises around 3:00 p.m. but never returned. Two days later, Dai Jie showed up at work alone and told their client, Ahumuza Shivan, proprietor of Malayika Hair Centre, that Yang had gone to the police to follow up on a missing vehicle.
Investigations later revealed that Dai Jie had secretly moved the business from Galilaya Plaza to a warehouse along Sir Apollo Kaggwa Road.
When both men failed to turn up at work for several days, Ahumuza reported a case of disappearance at Central Police Station (CPS), Kampala, on July 9, 2024. However, Dai Jie allegedly convinced her to withdraw the report, claiming that Yang was hiding from Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) officials over unpaid taxes.
Court documents show that on July 11, 2024, Dai Jie travelled to China. While there, he reportedly called a fellow Chinese national, Gao Xudong, and confessed that Yang had been killed by another Chinese businessman, Wang Tiangang. Gao advised him to return to Uganda and report the matter to the police.
Dai Jie flew back to Uganda on July 16, 2024, and the next day appeared at CPS Kampala, accompanied by his lawyer and members of the Chinese Association in Uganda. He recorded a statement alleging that Yang had been killed in their Haidah Plaza apartment during a fight with Wang Tiangang.
The DPP’s committal papers state that Dai Jie confessed to witnessing Wang beat Yang to death, after which the body was dismembered, packed in four polythene bags, and dumped in a sugarcane plantation in Jinja District.
Following the revelation, police reopened the case and carried out fresh investigations. Dai Jie led detectives to Wang Tiangang’s apartment in Bugolobi, where they recovered several items, including a Toyota Harrier (Reg No. UAP 234Y), along with blood-stained materials from the Haidah Plaza apartment.
A crime scene examination and post-mortem report later confirmed that the deceased was of non-African descent and had multiple deep cut wounds. DNA analysis matched the blood samples from the apartment with those taken from the exhumed body parts.
The documents further reveal that an application for exhumation was made, and on November 7, 2024, a court order was issued. Dai Jie led investigators to the burial site in Njeru Municipality, where a resident, Edirisa Mafabi, helped to identify a shallow grave. Police subsequently recovered a skull, hands, legs, back, and teeth, which were preserved for forensic analysis.
Prosecutors say they will rely on this forensic evidence, witness testimonies, and documentary exhibits to prove Dai Jie’s guilt. The State also informed the court that extradition proceedings are underway to bring Wang Tiangang from China to face trial in Uganda over the same murder.
Dai Jie, who has been on remand at Luzira Prison since August 2024, will remain in custody until the High Court Criminal Division sets a hearing date.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
