Court issues arrest warrant for suspected Desire Mirembe killer
Mathew Kirabo (R), the prime suspect in the murder of Makerere University student Desire Mirembe appears in Jinja Magistrate's court in the past. PHOTO BY DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- Mr Charlse Dalton Opwonya, a lawyer representing Kirabo, informed presiding judge Henry Kaweesa Isabirye that his client contracted Covid-19 and is ill, and requested the court to give him at least 25 days after which he will appear in court.
High Court in Mukono has issued a warrant of arrest for Mathew Kirabo, a former medical student at Makerere University, after he failed to appear in court over the murder of Desire Mirembe in July 2015.
Kirabo is the main suspect in the murder of Mirembe, who was also a medical student at Makerere University.
The prosecution had on Wednesday lined up witnesses to pin Kirabo in the murder case.
“Kirabo is not in court and might have escaped and fled out of the country because he one time moved to Nairobi using a new passport," State Attorney Happiness Ainebyoona said.
He added that Kirabo has on several occasions requested the court to provide him with his passport to go out of the country to further his studies.
Mr Charlse Dalton Opwonya, a lawyer representing Kirabo, informed presiding judge Henry Kaweesa Isabirye that his client contracted Covid-19 and is ill, and requested the court to give him at least 25 days after which he will appear in court. He, however, never presented medical documents supporting his argument.
When the court asked the suspect’s mother Ms Emelda Wabulendo about his son’s illness, she said she was also hearing it from Mr Opwonya.
"I have been informed by council Opwonya that my son is not well and admitted but I wasn't aware also," she said. This prompted Justice Kaweesa to issue the warrant of arrest for Kirabo.
Mr Emmanuel Musoke, the father to Mirembe said he is worried about the case because he really doesn't know if they will ever get justice for their daughter.
"I have been informed that Kirabo got married to an American on Monday and it could be that he has gone out of the country with her," he said.
Background
Mirembe, a then Makerere University student disappeared and her body was recovered in a sugarcane plantation on July 7, 2015, in Buikwe District. Kirabo was arrested and confessed to having killed Mirembe and was later given bail in November 2016.
Last month, detective Dominic Manyi pinned Kirabo with video evidence showing how the suspect confessed and led them to where he killed Mirembe from.
