Residents of Kikubampanga in Kakiri Town Council, Wakiso District, have appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to direct the Judiciary to conduct a community court session over the gruesome murder of 25-year-old local footballer Tonny Ssewakiryanga.
The footballer was allegedly abducted over the weekend and killed after his family reportedly failed to raise a ransom of five million Shillings demanded by the assailants. On Monday, the Police confirmed the arrest of Ibrahim Magala, the prime suspect in Ssewakiryanga’s kidnapping and murder.
According to police, Magala was arrested by night patrol officers and Local Defence Unit personnel during an operation targeting boda-boda-related crime. Officers became suspicious after the suspect claimed he was fleeing from thieves who were chasing him. A subsequent search reportedly uncovered a knife and bloodstained clothes, leading to his arrest. Investigators later recovered the deceased’s mobile phone from the suspect.
Police also established that the same phone lines allegedly used by the kidnappers to demand ransom from the victim’s family were linked to Magala. The bloodstained clothes and knife have since been submitted to the police forensic laboratory in Naguru for examination, while the hunt for other suspects is ongoing.
Speaking to Uganda Radio Network, residents led by Edgar Lubadde described Ssewakiryanga as a disciplined and promising footballer whose death has plunged the community into grief. Lubadde said the brutality of the killing had shocked residents and called on authorities to emulate the recent public trial arrangement in the case involving Christopher Okello Onyum, who is accused of murdering toddlers at a daycare centre in Ggaba.
Residents argued that holding the trial within the community would not only allow them to witness justice being served but also help locals understand court procedures and the handling of evidence.
“We have a big open space here in Kakiri. Let the authorities bring the suspects here. It would help people who fear the court and teach locals about the law, just like Ggaba residents learnt from the murdered children’s case,” Lubadde said.
Eric Kalule, the Youth Councillor for Kakiri Town Council, said suspects in capital offences should, where investigations are complete, be tried before the communities affected by the crimes because of the emotional pain involved.
“The pain we feel can only be reduced once such people are brought here to face the law in front of us. Few people can afford to follow cases at the High Court in Kampala, but here everyone will attend, and the community will feel justice being served,” Kalule said.
Community court sittings remain uncommon in Uganda’s civilian justice system, although they are frequently used in military courts. However, in April 2026, President Museveni directed the Judiciary to conduct a public community trial for Christopher Okello Onyum, who is accused of killing four toddlers at a daycare centre in Ggaba.
Museveni argued that trying suspects within the communities where the crimes were committed allows residents to witness justice being administered firsthand-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
