Ssebuufu appeals against 40-year jail term

Pine Car Bond proprietor, Muhammad Sebuufu has filed a notice of appeal in Court of Appeal challenging  a 40-year jail sentence that was handed down to him on Monday by the High court  for  the murder of a Kampala business woman Donah Betty Katushabe. 

In  the notice of appeal lodged before the Court of Appeal registry,  Sebuufu through Caleb Alaka and Evans Ochienge says he is dissatisfied with both his conviction ,  sentence and an order for him to compensate late Katusabe’s family with Shs100 million. 

Sebuufu's co-convicts are Godfrey Kayizzi, Phillip Mirambi, Yoweri Kitayimbwa, Damaseni Ssetongo, Paul Tasingika  Shaban Odutu.

Steven Lwanga was sentenced to 7 years in prison for being an accessory after the commission of an offense have also filed an appeal.

While passing sentence, however, Justice Ssenoga  explained that she  considered the  despicable manner in which Sebuufu and his co-convicts demanded the Shs9 million  from Katushabe adding that this will sound a strong warning to other would be offenders.

The Jailed group had been jointly indicted with the former Kampala Central Police Station Commander, Aaron Baguma for Katushabe's murder but at the beginning of the trial, the Directorate of Public Prosections without giving any reason to court dropped charges against Baguma and continued with the trial of Ssebuufu and the rest.

Evidence from prosecution witnesses   showed that when Katushabe failed to pay the balance , Sebuufu hired a team of his security guards to pick  her from her residence  in Bwebajja on  Entebbe road and drove to his office  at Pine Car Bond on Lumumba Avenue from where she was kicked and  beaten  there by causing grievous wounds to her body, which led to her death on October 21 2015.