The High Court in Kiboga has sentenced Prison Warder Moses Anguyo to death for killing four people during a shooting spree at Kiboga Government Prison in February.
Anguyo was handed the death sentence after pleading guilty to four counts of murder arising from the February 23, 2026 shooting.
He was also sentenced to two years in prison on each of two counts of aggravated robbery and three years for threatening violence.
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The court further ordered him to compensate victims of the robberies with Shs35,000 for a pair of stolen trousers and Shs25,000 for an Arsenal jersey.
Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga imposed the sentences after considering submissions from the prosecution and defence, including aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said the court found that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating factors presented by the defence.
Among the aggravating factors was the fact that four people were killed, including two public servants who were performing their duties and a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
The court also considered Anguyo's use of an AK-47 rifle, the alleged targeting of victims based on tribal identity and the breach of trust involved in a trained prison officer using a firearm entrusted to him to commit the offences.
The deaths also left six children orphaned, while the country lost people the court described as productive citizens, including Sarah Ayebare, who was an architect.
The court, however, considered Anguyo's guilty plea, youth, remorse, willingness to compensate the robbery victims and apology to the public as mitigating factors.
According to the ODPP, the court also found no evidence of premeditation.
The shooting occurred during a routine inspection at Kiboga Government Prison, where Anguyo was stationed at Sentry "A" and armed with a firearm.
Prosecutors said Anguyo had been found using a mobile phone while on duty and was ordered to hand over his weapon.
Instead, he allegedly became violent and pointed the firearm at Superintendent of Police Ivan Niwagaba, the Officer in Charge of Kiboga Government Prison.
The firearm initially failed to fire, but prosecutors said Anguyo re-cocked it and shot at Niwagaba, who escaped unharmed.
The violence then spread to other parts of the prison compound.
Ayebare and her one-and-a-half-year-old son, Salson Niwagaba, were shot while in a vehicle within the prison premises.
ASP Catherine Hope, a senior prison official, was also killed, while PO1 Bright Akishuri was shot dead as he responded to the gunfire.
Anguyo subsequently fled the prison and went to Saza Trading Centre, where he robbed two women of clothing while still armed.
He took a pair of trousers belonging to Grace Katusiime and an Arsenal jersey belonging to Mary Nabayiga.
He later abandoned his prison uniform and firearm in a bush in Kibiga Sub-county before fleeing towards northern Uganda and crossing into the Democratic Republic of Congo.
His escape triggered a cross-border manhunt involving Ugandan and Congolese security agencies.
He was eventually arrested in Aru, DRC, on March 27, 2026, following a joint operation involving Ugandan security personnel and Congolese authorities.
He was subsequently brought back to Uganda to face the charges.
Anguyo initially pleaded not guilty when the case came before the High Court but later changed his plea and admitted all seven offences.
The prosecution was led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Dr Daisy Nabasitu and Senior State Attorney Stephen Ariong, while Anguyo was represented by lawyers Swaibu Male and Cate Nakamya.
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In a statement following the sentencing, the ODPP said the sentence demonstrated the seriousness with which the law treats the taking of human life and violent criminal conduct.
"The sentence is a solemn reminder of the seriousness with which the law treats the taking of human life and violent criminal conduct," the ODPP said.
The prosecution office also extended its sympathies to the families of the deceased.
"The outcome of this case affirms the Office of the DPP's commitment, as well as the commitments of its criminal justice counterparts, the police and the Judiciary, to ensuring accountability for grave crimes and delivering justice to victims and their families," the ODPP said.
The death sentence remains subject to Uganda's legal appeal process, meaning Anguyo's case could still proceed through the courts.
