Army court sets free 32 Kenyan pastoralists.

NATIONAL

The Makindye-based army court has set free 32 Kenyan pastoralists after cancelling their 20-year imprisonment over possession of illegal firearms and ammunition in the Karamoja sub-region in April 2023.

Court records show that on April 11, 2023, the Army Court sitting at the Third Division in Moroto presided over by Colonel Bernard Arinaitwe Tuhame sentenced each of the 32 persons to 20 years in prison after they pleaded guilty to two charges of being in illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
On each of the two counts the group was sentenced to 10 years respectively and they were to run concurrently.

However, they appealed the punishment before the General Court Martial in Makindye, Kampala.

General Court Martial presided over by Brig Gen Freeman Mugabe held that upon perusal of the record of proceedings, the court agreed with both counsels for the appellants and respondent that there were procedural irregularities that affected the entire trial process even though the appellants pleaded guilty.