The High Court has ordered that all property purchased using the UGX 700 million ransom paid by the family of the late Suzan Magara be auctioned, with the proceeds returned to her family, in a landmark ruling that brings a significant chapter of one of Uganda’s most shocking murder cases to a close.
Justice Alex Ajiiji Mackay issued the order while delivering judgment in the high-profile kidnapping and murder case, saying the identified assets were acquired using money unlawfully extorted from Magara’s family and therefore could not be retained by the convicts.
The court directed that the recovered assets, including a Fuso truck, a taxi, a Coaster bus, and a piece of land, be sold through a public auction. The money realized from the sale will be handed back to the Magara family as partial recovery of the ransom they paid in a desperate attempt to save their loved one.
In the same judgment, the court convicted nine people for their roles in the 2018 kidnapping and murder of Suzan Magara. Those convicted are Yusuf Lubega Hussein, Wasswa, Muzamir Ssali, Hajarah Nakandi, Abubaker Kyewolya, Mahad Kisaliita, Ismail Bukeny, Akato Miiro, and Abas Musa Buwembo.
Justice Mackay sentenced Hajarah Nakandi and Abas Musa Buwembo to death after finding them directly responsible for Magara’s murder. The court ruled that Nakandi was the mastermind behind the decision to kill the 28-year-old after the kidnappers realized she had identified some of them.
The remaining seven convicts—Yusuf Lubega Hussein, Wasswa, Muzamir Ssali, Abubaker Kyewolya, Mahad Kisaliita, Ismail Bukeny, and Akato Miiro—were each sentenced to life imprisonment for their participation in the kidnapping, ransom extortion, and murder.
While delivering the judgment, Justice Mackay commended investigators for their professionalism and persistence, saying their work was instrumental in securing convictions in a case that had gripped the nation for years.
Suzan Magara, who worked as a cashier at Bwendero Dairy Farm, was abducted in February 2018. Despite her family raising and paying a UGX 700 million ransom to secure her freedom, she was brutally killed. Her body was later discovered in Kitiko along Entebbe Road, leaving the country shocked and sparking widespread calls for justice.
The court’s decision to confiscate and auction property purchased with the ransom money is intended to ensure that those convicted do not benefit from the proceeds of their crime while helping the Magara family recover part of the enormous financial loss they suffered during the ordeal.
The ruling brings to an end one of Uganda’s most notorious kidnapping and murder trials, delivering both punishment for those found responsible and a measure of justice to a family that has waited more than eight years for accountability.
