Written By | Peter Luzinda
Anguyo was separately sentenced to two years' imprisonment on each of two counts of aggravated robbery and three years' imprisonment for threatening violence.
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KIBOGA
The High Court sitting at Kiboga has sentenced former prison warder Anguyo Moses to death after he pleaded guilty to the murder of four people, aggravated robbery and threatening violence against a senior prison officer.
Anguyo was convicted and sentenced by High Court Judge Jane Okuo Kajuga after entering his own plea to the charges on Monday.
The court found that the aggravating circumstances surrounding the offences outweighed the mitigating factors presented in his favour.
Among the aggravating circumstances considered by the court was the killing of four people, including two public servants who were carrying out their duties and a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
The court also considered the use of an AK-47 rifle during the incident and the prosecution's allegation that some of the victims were targeted on the basis of their tribal identity.
Justice Kajuga further noted that Anguyo had breached the trust placed in him as a trained prison officer entrusted with a firearm.
The killings, the court observed, had a devastating effect on the victims' families, leaving six children orphaned and depriving the country of productive citizens, including an architect identified as Ayebare.
However, the judge also considered several mitigating circumstances, including the absence of evidence of premeditation, Anguyo's guilty plea, his relatively young age, his expression of remorse, his willingness to compensate the victims of the aggravated robbery and his apology to the public.
The court nevertheless concluded that the aggravating factors substantially outweighed the mitigating circumstances and imposed the death sentence on the murder charges.
Anguyo was separately sentenced to two years' imprisonment on each of two counts of aggravated robbery and three years' imprisonment for threatening violence.
He was also ordered to compensate the victims Shs35,000 for a pair of stolen trousers and Shs25,000 for an Arsenal jersey.
Shooting at Kiboga prison
The prosecution, led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Dr Daisy Nabasitu and Senior State Attorney Stephen Arion, told the court that the incident occurred on February 23, 2026, while Anguyo was on duty at Sentry A at Kiboga Government Prison.
He was armed with a prison-issued sub-machine gun (SMG), serial number UG POL 565824781-32635.
According to the prosecution, Anguyo became insubordinate during a supervisory inspection conducted by Senior Superintendent of Prisons (SP) Niwagaba Ivan and Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) Catherine Hope.
He had allegedly been found using a mobile phone while on duty, contrary to prison regulations and operational directives.
The prosecution said that when he was ordered to hand over the firearm, Anguyo became violent, cocked the weapon and pointed it at SP Niwagaba.
Although the gun initially malfunctioned, he allegedly re-cocked it and fired at the officer, who escaped unharmed.
The incident then escalated into a shooting spree within the prison premises.
The prosecution alleged that Anguyo shot Sarah Ayebare and her one-and-a-half-year-old son, Salson Niwagaba, who were inside a vehicle in the prison yard.
ASP Catherine Hope was also allegedly shot while in a toilet at the District Health Officer's premises. The prosecution further told the court that Principal Officer Bright Akishuri responded to the gunshots, believing that prisoners were attempting to escape. Anguyo allegedly shot him dead.
Escape to DRC
After the shootings, Anguyo allegedly fled the prison and went to Saza Trading Centre, where he committed two aggravated robberies while still armed with the SMG.
He allegedly robbed Katusiime Grace of a pair of black jeans and Nabayiga Mary of an Arsenal jersey.
The prosecution further alleged that Anguyo later discarded his prison uniform and abandoned the firearm in a bush in Kibiga Sub-County before fleeing the area.
He reportedly travelled to Arua and subsequently crossed into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He was later arrested in Aru, during a joint Uganda-DRC operation, and returned to Uganda to face trial.
The death sentence follows Anguyo's guilty plea, bringing the High Court proceedings against him to the sentencing stage after the court considered the circumstances surrounding the killings and the subsequent offences.
