Alex Bukumunhe
2 December 2008
Kampala — AFTER being denied sex, Yusufu Sokolo grabbed a panga, cut off his wife's hands and inflicted several cuts on her thighs. He then handed himself over to the Police.
A resident of Namutya in Busaana sub-county, Kayunga district, Sokolo, 65, was on Monday found guilty of murdering his wife Mwajuma Namatovu and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
He told the Police that on September 24, 2006, his wife denied him sex, saying she preferred intercourse with Asuman Basudde, her new lover.
Namutya LCI chairman, Samanya Yeko told the Mukono High Court that Namatovu and Basudde had earlier been convicted of adultery in Kayunga district.
"Basudde was given six months in prison and Namatovu was given one, but Sokolo asked court to release his wife, saying he had forgiven her," Yeko said.
Sokolo told court that for six months his wife had denied him sex, adding that she provoked him when she said her new lover was batter than him in bed.
He also denied having used a panga to cut her, saying he just slapped her hard and she knocked her head on the door.
Prosecutor Charles Kamuuli asked court to sentence Sokolo to death for the murder of his wife.
"This is a typical case in the Domestic Relations Bill, where women's rights over sex are being violated. Courts need to pronounce themselves on this by putting such offenders out of circulation," he said.
However, Sokolo's lawyer Timothy Erabu pleaded for leniency, saying at 65 years, the accused was in the last stage of his life.
"He is a father of 10. The children need emotional support. It would not be wise to deprive them of their right," he said.
After prosecution had proved the case of murder against Sokolo, the presiding judge, Irene Muryagonja Kakooza, said court also needed to prove whether there was provocation.
She ruled that a mere denial of sex in marriage did not constitute provocation according to the East African Court of Appeal.
She added that the accused had committed a heinous crime against his family and the community.
"Murdering his wife in cold blood was a cowardly act. Though sex in marriage is a right of each partner, murdering a woman over it is unjustifiable. Such acts are so common these days. The accused is hereby sentenced to life mprisonment to serve as an example for the rest of the community," she said in her final ruling.
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