LDU personnel jailed three years for accidentally shooting colleague dead

The Division Court martial, of the UPDF first infantry Division in Wakiso has sentenced a Local Defence Unit personnel to three years for accidentally shooting dead a colleague.

LDU AX 012029 Asuman Juma Musuya was on Tuesday afternoon arraigned before a seven member court chaired by Col. Sam Mugyenyi and charged him with man slaughter under the UPDF Act of 2005.

Court heard that, on July,25, 2019,  while cleaning his gun, Musuya failed to take necessary safety precaution leading to killing of his fellow LDU personnel Atanansi Mumuli.

The accused however, accepted the charges and was convicted on his own plea.

“He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, starting from the date of his arrest,” said the UPDF spokesperson, Brig. Richard Karemire.

Others

The court sitting in Wakiso also charged seven other people including UPDF soldiers and LDU personnel of different offences.

Another LDU personnel,  AX 013908, Kirungi Sadik of Kira battalion  was charged with failing to protect war materials under section 122 of the UPDF Act when on December, 10, 2019  a firing pin and bolt were found missing from his gun .

He pleaded guilty and convicted on his own plea but the defence lawyer asked court to be lenient to Kirungi since he was a first time offender and had been remorseful.

“On his part, the convict pleaded that he had a pregnant wife and was the sole bread winner for the family. He pleaded for a lenient sentence. In consideration of the above, court sentenced him to 6 months’ detention starting from the day of conviction,” the army spokesperson said.

The division army court also remanded LDU AX 015479 John  Ntabakirapose until May 26, 2020 after being charged with desertion under  section 146 of UPDF Act of 2005, offences he denied whereas Pte.Pius Kigoma Bogere was charged with similar offences but imprisoned for 15 months since the date of arrest.

Others charged were, Pte. Jimmy Kabwana, for careless shooting in operation against Section 125 of the UPDF Act whereas LDU AX 016343 Joseph Olingi, was charged with obtaining registration by false pretense under Section 312 of the penal Code Act.

The later denied the charges and was remanded until May,26, 2020.

According to the UPDF First Division Commander Maj Gen. Samuel Kawagga, the court sittings are part of the deliberate efforts to ensure discipline in the force.

“We continue to use all means at our disposal to ensure that we maintain our norms, traditions and culture that have always defined us,” he said.

He maintained that, they will ensure professionalism and discipline through continuous training, mentoring and taking administrative action in addition to legal action to maintain a disciplined force.