By KT Reporter
The long-awaited terrorism trial of suspected Allied Democratic Forces commander Jamilu Mukulu has today started before the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kampala, nearly 11 years after his arrest and subsequent detention on remand.
Presiding over the trial in which 38 people are accused of terrorism is a four-judge panel comprising Justices Michael Elubu, Dr. Andrew Bashaija, Susan Okalany and Stephen Mubiru. The bench on Monday heard the prosecution’s first witness, Vincent Ekweny, whose testimony centered on the killing of his uncle, Buyinja Sub-county LC3 Chairperson Tito Okwale, in February 2015.
Ekweny, a gold miner and peasant farmer residing in Namavundu, Namayingo District, recounted that on February 1, 2015, he had been working at a gold mine in Nakundi when his uncle Okwale who often moved between his two homes arrived to check on him. The two spent the afternoon together, with the witness mining gold and Okwale inspecting faulty machinery at the site. They later returned to Okwale’s home at around 6:00 p.m.
As they settled in, the Court has heard that Ekweny sat on the veranda while his uncle entered the kitchen and came out with a jackfruit brought by a neighbour’s child. Okwale proceeded to sit on the neighbour’s veranda, just a few meters away.
That it was during this time that Ekweny noticed a motorcycle carrying three men slowly pass through the compound which had a small feeder road in between.
The witness said that the motorcycle had no number plate, its headlamp was on full beam, however there was the moon shinning bright and he was able to see the events happening very well. A short while later, Ekweny has told the fully packed court room that the same motorcycle returnednow with two men on it. That the passenger jumped off and ran directly to Ekweny, stopping very close enough for both men to study each other for about two minutes. Ekweny has described the assailant as small-bodied, dark-skinned and wearing a long jacket that reached his feet. He insisted that the lighting conditions enabled him to clearly observe the assailant’s appearance.
The man then turned to Okwale and, without hesitation, shot him from the verandah of his neighbor where he was eating Fene from. Ekweny recalled his uncle collapsing and gasping “Ahh” as he breathed his last. The attacker then turned back toward Ekweny. The motorcycle rider, whom the witness described as wearing a red jumper, remained on standby, ready to speed away. Fearing for his life, Ekweny ran into the house.
According to the witness, the gunman returned briefly to Okwale’s body and fired additional shots before fleeing with the rider down a slope. In the chaos that followed, Okwale’s second wife, Nabwire, urged Ekweny to run to the police, but he admitted he stopped midway out of fear after witnessing the execution-style killing.
He has told court that the deceased later lost his eyes from the gunshot wounds. The Court has also heard that the Uganda Police eventually arrived at the scene but were chased away by angry residents who accused them of responding too late. He has narrated that the body was later taken for postmortem examination before it was handed over for burial.
Ekweny said that on February 4th 2025, he was summoned to the notorious Nalufenya police facility in Jinja to identify suspects who had been arrested. During the identification parade, he said that he immediately recognised the man who shot his uncle, pointing out the fourth suspect from the left.
While breaking down in tears, the witness Ekweny has also reaffirmed and pointed out that the assailant he identified then is the same individual now appearing as Accused Number one Ali Kabambwe also known as Munakenya. He left the dock and went so close to him while pinning him as the killer of the local government politician.
Defence lawyers however led by Caleb Alaka requested for an adjournment, informing the court that he intended to conduct an extensive cross-examination but needed time to prepare. He said he had not eaten lunch the whole day and so were the rest of the people in court , had a scheduled appointment and wished to handle the cross-examination thoroughly. As such he asked for more time to prepare. The Prosecution is being represented by Chief State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka and Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Thomas Jatiko
The proceedings were ongoing amidst a very tight court room sealed off by police, Counter terrorism men and women armed with guns both inside the court room, within the court room premises and outside the court room upto the nearby roundabout of Sheraton Hotel. The accused persons face a string of charges including aggravated robbery, murder, terrorism among others. Some of the accused persons in this case pleaded guilty and have since been convicted and sentenced to prison and therefore no longer come for trial.
The prosecution alleges that between 2011 and 2014, Mukulu and 36 co-accused persons acquired firearms, received military training in neighboring countries, and secured funding to pursue political, religious, and social motives through violence.
Among the charges Mukulu faces is the murder of prominent Muslim clerics Sheikh Yunus Abubaker Mandanga and Sheikh Dakitoor Muwaya, a top Shia religious leader. The group is also accused of attacking Bugiri Police Station and killing officers Karim Tenywa and Muzamir Babale.
The accused were arrested from various locations in Uganda and Tanzania between 2014 and 2015. Their charges date as far back as the 1998 ADF attack on Kichwamba Technical Institute, in which more than 80 students were killed.
Although they were committed to trial in September 2019 by the then High Court Judge Eva Luswata who is now a Constitutional Court Judge following a pretrial conference, no substantive hearing had taken place until today. The case will resume tomorrow November 18th 2025.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
