WHO KILLED YASIN? Court Orders Fresh Inquest Into Bobi Wine Driver’s Death… Judge Wants Independent Probe
The High Court in Arua has ordered an inquest into the 2018 fatal shooting of Yasin Kawuma, the driver of National Unity Platform leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, nearly eight years after his death during the Arua Municipality parliamentary by-election campaigns.
In a judgment delivered on Monday, Justice Harriet Grace Magala directed that the inquest be conducted by the Chief Magistrate of Arua Chief Magistrate’s Court, ruling that the circumstances surrounding Kawuma’s death warrant an independent judicial inquiry in the interests of justice. The application was filed by Kawuma’s widow, Alice Mwesigwa, who sought an order compelling the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Jeje Odong, to appoint a coroner to investigate the killing.
She argued that her husband’s death was violent and unnatural and therefore required an inquest under the Inquests Act. Court records show that Kawuma was shot on August 13, 2018, during the heated campaigns for the Arua Municipality parliamentary by-election. According to a medical certificate issued by Arua Regional Referral Hospital, he died from a brain injury caused by gunshot wounds.
The Attorney General opposed the application, arguing that the High Court lacked powers to compel the minister to appoint a coroner and that the widow should first have pursued other remedies provided under the law. However, Justice Magala dismissed the objections, noting that the government did not dispute that Kawuma died from gunshot wounds and that the medical evidence sufficiently established the death as violent and unnatural.
The judge explained that the purpose of an inquest is not to determine criminal liability but to establish how, when and where a person died, adding that such inquiries serve the interests of the deceased’s family, the public and the administration of justice. Justice Magala further held that while the court could not compel the minister to appoint a coroner, Section 27(a) of the Inquests Act empowers the High Court to order an inquest. Since magistrates are recognized as coroners under the Act, she directed that the inquiry be conducted by the Chief Magistrate of Arua Chief Magistrate’s Court.
“The court finds that it is just and fair to order an inquest into the deceased’s death,” Justice Magala ruled. The court made no order as to costs. Kawuma was killed during the violence that marred the August 2018 Arua Municipality parliamentary by-election campaigns. The incident attracted national and international attention and was followed by the arrest and prosecution of several opposition politicians, including Bobi Wine. However, no judicial inquest had previously been conducted into Kawuma’s death.
GOT A HOT STORY? LET US KNOW!
Got breaking news, explosive secrets, or hard evidence?
Email us: redpeppertips@gmail.com
We accept tips, documents, videos, photos, and recordings—the more evidence you have, the better.
CONFIDENTIALITY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY. SOURCES ARE ALWAYS PROTECTED!
About Post Author
