Director of Public Prosecution has withdrawn murder charges against Mathew Kanyamunyu’s girlfriend and co-suspect Cynthia Munwangari
The letter discontinuing proceedings against Munwangari is dated 11th/November 2020 and have been presented to court by chief prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya .
The letter signed by DPP Jane Frances Abodo however states no reason for withdrawal of charges.
DPP further reduces Kanyamunyu’s grave murder charge to manslaughter and presents to court an amended charge sheet to which Kanyamunyu is pleading guilty.
Therefore, Kanyamunyu has accepted before court that on the 12th/Nov 2016 at Kampala Jinja Highway unlawfully caused the death of Kenneth Akena.
That on the fateful day, Kanyamunyu and Akena got involved in a motor accident which resulted into a scuffle and Kanyamunyu shot Akena in the chest .
That upon realising what he had done , he rushed him to Victoria hospital and later to Nakasero hospital where he told the docs what had happened. That the following day he was pronounced dead scumbling to excessive bleeding from the gunshot wound .
After agreeing to the facts of the offence, Kanyamunyu has now been convicted to 5 years and one month in Prison.
DPP in mitigation says Akena’s death caused a lot of trauma to the family and the unrecovered gun could be used in the commission of other offences. The offence is grave and carries a maximum of life imprisonment.
Kanyamunyu is aged 43 years and he is a first offender, after shooting him, he realised the gravity of his actions and rushed the deceased to hospital and attempted to save his life.
He has since sought out the deceased’s family and community leaders and asked for forgiveness.
He suffers from hypertension, he his a single parent to 4 minor children according to Kanyamunyu’s lawyer Peter Kabatsi.
Judge Mubiru explains to Kanyamunyu that he will not give life because he is a first time offender, he carried the victim to the hospital, approached the family for reconciliation, this is a senseless death with no justification, it was as a result of a loss of self-control and since he has plea-bargained. Court has accepted his bargain of years imprisonment.
The court has further reduced the time of 11 months he spent on remand therefore he is to serve 5 years and one month’s imprisonment. He has been advised to appeal the sentence if he considers it harsh.
