Updated by Faith Barbara Namagembe at 1554 EAT on Wednesday 22 February 2022.

Isaac Ssenabulya, the self-confessed murderer of former social worker, Maria Nagirinya and her driver, Ronald Kitayimbwa has been sentenced to 40 years in jail. 

High court criminal division judge Isaac Muwata announced the sentence today Wednesday morning, a day after Ssenabulya pleaded guilty to the duo’s kidnap and murder in 2019.   

He sentenced him to 40 years in jail on each of the counts but directed that he serves the sentences concurrently. He also said that the convict will serve 37 years given the fact that he had spent three years on remand since his arrest in 2019. 

Muwata explained that he had taken into account the fact that the convict was a first-time offender, who didn’t waste the court’s time and had apologized to the deceased’s family.  

He noted that Ssenabulya is a young energetic man who can fend for himself other than resort to unlawful means for survival. He added that the murder put a big impact on the families of the victims. Ssenabulya is one of the seven suspects who were picked in connection to the kidnap and murder of the duo on August 28, 2019. 

The other suspects included Raymond Marcos Okori, Isaac Ssenabulya alias Kisunsu, Hamza Kateregga alias Arsenal, John Kisekka alias Manumanu, John Lubega aka Barros, Hasan Kisekka, and Ivan Mutagubya.  

However, on Tuesday, the state attorney, Jonathan Muwaganya presented a letter from the DPP indicating that she was longer interested in prosecuting Okori prompting Justice Muwata to order his immediate release.