The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Brian Bagyenda asked for forgiveness after murdering his girlfriend, Enid Twijukye in 2016, the High Court Criminal division heard on Monday. Bagyenda is charged alongside Innocent Bainomugisha, a Cleaner and Vincent Rwahwire, a casual laborer for their roles in the murder of Twijukye, a former student of Makerere University Business School-MUBS.
The group appeared on Monday before the Criminal Division of High Court presided over by Justice Moses Kazibwe for the hearing of their case. Prosecution led by Senior State Attorney; Joseph Kyomuhendo presented three relatives of the deceased to testify against the accused. The deceased’s mother, Esther Mirembe told court that she doesn’t clearly understand the circumstances, under which her daughter lost her life.
Mirembe told court that Twijukye was staying with her sister and brother in law in Bweyogerere. She however, says that she tried reaching her a few days before she lost her life but her number couldn’t go through. Mirembe told court that her daughter had a new phone with a purchase receipt in the name of Brian Bagyenda.
She told court that she couldn’t bring herself to watch her daughter’s body following her murder, saying she has a history of hypertension and was very traumatized with her death. Court also heard from Twijukye’s sister, Evas Turigye and her husband, David Obuk that Bagyenda confessed to them about the murder.
The two told court that when they went to Kira Road Police Station to record statements, they asked if they could speak to Bagyenda and were allowed. The witnesses told court that it was during this brief interaction that Bagyenda apologized for the murder of his girlfriend.
The witnesses, who were reportedly accompanied by plain clothed security officers reportedly, asked the suspect why he had killed Twijukye. According to the witnesses, Bagyenda told them that he had tracked Twijukye’s phone and established that she was cheating on him with her new boyfriend.
He reportedly told them that Twijukye told them that their relationship was over, which prompted him to tie her legs with sellotape and increased the volume of the Television before suffocating her to death with pillows. The witnesses further told court that Bagyenda confessed to them that Twijukye vomited the porridge and milk she had taken that day as a result of the suffocation.
He reportedly hired his co-accused at Shillings 200,000 to dump the body claiming that Twijukye had stolen Shillings 4 million. Court heard that the suspects put the body in a polythene bag and dumped it in a swamp in Namanve in Mukono District.
According to the witnesses, Bagyenda reportedly had plans to dump the body in his home district in Kalangala but his co-accused refused to help him leaving him with no option but to dump it in Namanve. Details of the case are that Bagyenda and his coaccused on January 4th, 2016 at Njobe Road in Nakawa Division in Kampala District with malice aforethought caused the death of Twijukye.
Early this year, Bagyenda through his lawyer Nsubuga Mubiru tried entered a plea bargain with the Directorate of Public Prosecution but it didn’t yield results leading to a full court trial. The State has lined up 18 witnesses to pin the suspects for murder. The case will return to court on December 19th, 2019 for further hearing.
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