Kiboga Prison Shooting Survivor Testifies to Wife and Son's Deaths

The trial for a brutal shooting at Kiboga Central Prison has commenced, with the officer in charge, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Ivan Niwagaba, providing a heart-wrenching account of the events that led to the deaths of his wife and one-year-old son.

Niwagaba, the prosecution’s key witness, told the High Court in Kiboga that he was on duty when he discovered warder Moses Anguyo, one of the accused, had abandoned his post. Upon confronting Anguyo about his absence and unauthorized phone use, a tense exchange escalated when Anguyo allegedly drew his firearm and attempted to shoot Niwagaba.

“He cocked the gun that was already pointed at me. The gun failed to discharge the bullets,” Niwagaba told the court, visibly emotional. He ordered colleagues to flee before escaping himself into a nearby banana plantation.

Tragically, as Niwagaba attempted to warn his family, who were waiting in a vehicle, he learned they had already been shot. His wife, Sarah Ayebare, and their son, Salson Nuwagaba, were later pronounced dead at Kiboga Hospital.

Anguyo, who has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges including murder, reportedly claimed during earlier proceedings that the killings were not intentional and followed provocation. He faces charges related to the deaths of four individuals, including prison officer Bright Akishuri and ASP Hope Catherine, alongside counts of aggravated robbery and threatening violence.

Two co-accused, Peter Anziku and Hellen Amviko, are charged with assisting Anguyo to evade arrest and prosecution after the February 23 incident. The prosecution intends to call over a dozen witnesses as the trial, presided over by Justice Jane Okuo Kajuka, continues.

This story is based on reporting from the Daily Monitor.