By Sania Babirye
Kampala high court judge Angelin Flavia Ssenoga has handed a 35 year jail sentence to Major Juma Seiko's private guard who was found guilty of killing two people in December 2016 at his boss's house.
Justice sentenced him to 35 years in Luzira prison in grounds that being a trained soldier he should not have acted uncivilized by killing innocent people.
Justice Senoga further ruled that the convict recklessly shoot at the people who had brought a person at home whom he knew very well yet he did not give then a chance to defend themselves.
Prosecution had asked court to grant the convict a deterrent sentence of not less than 40 years since he was a trained person with a gun and could have thought twice before taking away people's lives.
However, his lawyer Kumbuga Richard asked court to give his client a lenient sentence because he is a first time offender with a family to look after.
Meanwhile the convict had asked for a punishment of at least 35 years when he was given an opportunity to address court.
He also apologised for the incident and asked for forgiveness from the victim's families.
On the 29th of August, relatives of the victims were stranded inside the courtroom as hopes of finally getting justice.
On the 14th of August , Justice Ssenoga for the second time informed court that the said judgement was not ready and instead adjourned it to today which also flopped .
On the 23rd of December prosecution and the defense closed their case while two court assessors gave their opinion and advised court to find the suspect guilty.
On the 15th of December 2016, Buganda road court chief magistrate Jamson Karemani charged 28 year old Alex Cherotich with four counts of murder and attempted murder.
He was in October 2017 committed to the high court for trial after Prosecution informed court that they had a directive from the DPPs office to have Cherotich tried over the charges.
According to police, the suspect was using the gun that was given to him by his boss illegally since he had been dismissed from the army over indiscipline.
Prosecution states that on the 4th of December 2016 at Major Seiko's residence in Nakasero hill, Cherotic an ex-soldier used a gun to kill Lameck Ogwanga and Fred Ssembatya.
Prosecution further states that the trigger -happy Cherotich also injured David Ssenkubuge and Solomon Mugabi.
Lameck Ogwang was a supervisor of SGA security firm while Ssembatya was a bodaboda rider at Mengo Rubaga Division.
While in detention at central police station, Seiko had defended his bodyguard saying the victims were forcing their entry into his house probably to kill him just like Major Muhammad Kigundu who was killed in November but his allegations were dismissed by the then former and murdered police spokes person AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi who was also later gunned down by unknown assailants in September 2017.
He had further alleged that the victims also tried to strangle his bodyguard but he later managed to get away and got the gun and shot them.