Two teen vendors sent to High Court for trial over Kampala hawker’s murder
What you need to know:
- The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) informed the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court that the pair acted with malice aforethought when they unlawfully killed Natukunda on the night of February 19, 2025.
- The two girls are accused of stabbing to death a 23-year-old second-hand cloth hawker in fight over Shs5,000 debt
Two teenage girls who worked as fruit vendors in downtown Kampala have been committed to the High Court for murder trial following the death of a female hawker after a violent confrontation over Shs 5,000.
Aged 14 and 15, both suspects are residents of Banda B1 Zone in Nakawa Division. They are accused of fatally stabbing 24-year-old Kanifa Natukunda at Hanifa Towers on Luwum Street.
The suspects’ cannot be named because they are minors.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) informed the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court that the pair acted with malice aforethought when they unlawfully killed Natukunda on the night of February 19, 2025.
During proceedings presided over by Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi, the court heard that the accused had gone to collect a debt of Shs5,000 from Natukunda, a second-hand clothes vendor in the same area.
"At around 10 pm, the juveniles approached Natukunda demanding payment of money borrowed the previous day. A heated argument ensued, during which the deceased reportedly slapped one of the girls,” Mr Ivan Kyazze, the state prosecutor, told court.
According to the indictment, during the scuffle, one of the teens allegedly rushed to a nearby location, picked up a knife, and stabbed Natukunda in the abdomen. The girls then fled the scene as bystanders rushed the injured Natukunda to Naguru Hospital.
She was discharged from hospital on April 20. She is said to have named her attackers in a conversation with a friend, revealing that the dispute had stemmed from a debt.
However, her condition later deteriorated, and she died five days after being discharged.
A post-mortem examination from Mulago Hospital showed that Natukunda succumbed to peritonitis caused by a sharp penetrating wound to her abdomen. The medical report described a two-centimeter-long stab wound that had gone through all abdominal layers.
Police tracked and arrested the juveniles, who both denied the charges.
The prosecution told the court it intends to rely on several key pieces of evidence, including the post-mortem report, medical examinations of the accused, and a sketch plan of the crime scene.
“This was a deliberate and unlawful act carried out by the accused. The evidence clearly shows the stabbing was in retaliation during a confrontation. We shall demonstrate that the accused had no lawful excuse for their actions,” Mr Kyazze submitted.
The magistrate committed the duo to the High Court for trial at the next criminal session.
If convicted, the juveniles could face custodial sentences in a juvenile rehabilitation centre as determined by the High Court under Uganda’s child justice system.
