A Ugandan military court has ordered the release of 32 Kenyan nationals who were previously sentenced to 20 years in prison for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The decision by the General Court Martial (GCM), which convened late Wednesday, overturned an earlier ruling by a lower court. The GCM found procedural irregularities during last year’s trial that led to the imprisonment of the Kenyan citizens.
The GCM’s judgment said that although the accused group had pleaded guilty, seven of them were minors aged below 18 years. As such, they should not have been tried by a military court.
“This court finds merit in the appeal and determines that a retrial of the appellants would result in injustice,” said the judgment signed by GCM Chairman Brig. Gen. Robert Freeman Mugabe.
“Considering the one year and 13 days the appellants spent in lawful custody and the period they spent serving the illegal sentence, there is no need for a retrial,” the court further ruled before releasing the group.
Court documents revealed that the Kenyan group was apprehended in possession of 28 submachine guns and 801 rounds of ammunition in the northeastern Ugandan district of Moroto and subsequently sentenced in April last year. The convicts later appealed the sentence.
Northeastern Uganda has been plagued by armed cattle rustling, often involving Kenyans crossing the border in search of cattle. The Ugandan army has been actively engaged in pacifying the region through disarmament efforts and by confronting rustlers.
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