Kampala: The trial of Mathew Kanyamunyu, his girlfriend Cynthia Munwangari and his brother Joseph Kanyamunyu, who are suspected to have shot dead children rights activist Kenneth Akena at Lugogo in Kampala has been postponed to October 27, 2020.

However, Kanyamunyu has told court that he will opt for the plea bargain mechanism, where a suspect pleads guilty to an offence in return for a lenient sentence.

The judge adjourned the case to Tuesday, October 27, 2020, to give a ruling on whether to resume or postpone the trial until completion of the mato oput process.

It’s worth noting that two months ago, Kanyamunyu, reached out to late Akena’s family and apologized to them. “To be honest, I would be lying to you if I told you that I have fully comprehended the tragedy of that day up to today. The foolishness, the evil that I exhibited on that day is not something I knew was in me but now I recognize that deep within me there is evil that I do not know about,” Kanyamunyu told a team of clan leaders and elders when asked what his motive was at the time of committing the offence.

Through his lawyers, Kanyamunyu requested court to allow  him go into the plea bargaining programme once the process of mato-oput is done.

”The purpose of this letter is to request that our client (Kanyamunyu) is accepted into the Plea Bargaining programme. Therefore, we would be most obliged if this matter is removed from the cause-list of trials beginning October 20, before Justice Mubiru Stephen to allow for the completion of the mato oput and plea bargaining,” the lawyers requested.

The trial is among the 40 criminal cases that were expected to be heard starting today before the High Court Criminal Division Judge Stephen Mubiru. They were to be concluded within 45 days. The case has been postponed due to lack of funds.

The trial was halted in February this year after presiding judge Steven Mubiru indicated that the time allocated to him to handle a criminal session in Kampala was out and that he had supervisory roles to do at his work station at Gulu High court.

However, according to the Judiciary’s communications officer Jamson Karemani, Justice Mubiru was recalled to handle the case to completion together with other criminal cases.

Justice Mubiru abandoned the trial after listening to 12 witnesses including the late Akena’s relatives, investigating officers and a senior government analyst Robinah Kirinya who examined police exhibits and found out that they had gun powder and matching DNA.