Kerry Howard Mwesigwa.
A man has been sentenced to one year in jail by the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Budaka District for his involvement in a peculiar case involving a missing national identity card. Ronald Mbayo was found guilty of burglary and theft charges. He claimed that his gods had miraculously delivered the missing ID on a goat’s skull. His co-accused, Ronald Kawanguzi, was acquitted of the charges.
According to the prosecution, Mbayo and Kawanguzi were accused of breaking into the house of Irene Nankoma with the intention of stealing valuable items, including a laptop bag, a national identity card, academic result slips, school identity cards, and testimonials. Nankoma reported the theft to the police after realizing that her laptop bag had gone missing while she was staying at her sister’s home.
The case took an unusual turn when Kawanguzi claimed to have connections to a witch doctor who could help retrieve the stolen items through supernatural means. Negotiations ensued, leading to the late-night delivery of Nankoma’s national ID attached to a goat’s skull at her sister’s home. Subsequently, the police were informed and arrested the accused individuals.
During the trial, Grade One Magistrate Abubaker Hassan Matanda examined the evidence and concluded that there was insufficient direct evidence linking Kawanguzi to the offenses. The court found the evidence regarding the recovery of an identification card from Kawanguzi’s father to be weak, and the claims of his confession were considered hearsay. As a result, Kawanguzi was acquitted of the charges.
