Court of Appeal to Review 25 Criminal Appeals in Three-Day Session, Including High-Profile Corruption Cases

The Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear 25 criminal appeals from July 22 to July 24, 2024. This three-day session, led by Justices Fredrick Martin Stephen Egonda-Ntende, Cheborion Barishaki, and Dr. Asa Mugenyi, will cover a variety of criminal cases.

The appeals include six murder cases, six defilement cases, four robbery cases, three abuse of office cases, and two rape cases. Additionally, there are individual appeals for false information, trespass and malicious damage, false pretense, and grievous harm.

Significantly, two appellants are challenging life sentences—one for murder and one for aggravated robbery. The State is also appealing two cases: one involves a previous acquittal for abuse of office, and the other seeks a stay of proceedings in a trespass and malicious damage case.

Among the cases is that of Engineer Kakiiza Robert, a former Principal Civil Engineer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, who was acquitted of abuse of office. The State is appealing this acquittal, aiming to overturn the lower court’s decision.

Engineer Kakiiza was cleared of corruption charges linked to the bicycle scam, in which the government lost over USD 1.7 million (6.3 billion Shillings) due to an unfulfilled contract. The court, led by Justice Lawrence Gidudu, found Kakiiza was not accountable for the loss, as the issues with the contract were beyond his control, and there was no evidence he altered contract terms.

Others involved in the scandal were sentenced to prison for their roles in the corruption. The appeals, filed between 2014 and 2023, will significantly affect the appellants, their families, and the broader community.

Deputy Registrar Lillian Bucyana emphasized that the Court of Appeal prioritizes appeals from the Anti-Corruption Division as soon as the lower court record is available, regardless of the appeal’s age.