The murder trial of businessman Francis Onebe is set to resume on Monday, October 2, at the High Court in Kampala. The trial will include further cross-examination of investigating officer Jacob Okello, with High Court Judge Michael Elubu presiding over the case.
Principal State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo is prosecuting the case, while defence lawyers Patrick Kasamba, David Oluka, and Joshua Emorut are defending Francis Onebe and security guard Bonny Oriekot.
In previous court sessions, it was revealed that Onebe’s wife, Immaculate Mary Blessing Aiso, had been abducted and strangled to death. According to a witness statement presented in court, Aiso was abducted on January 6, 2021, before reaching the gate of her home in Munyonyo, Kampala. She was then confined in a building under construction in the Bukasa suburb for over a week before being strangled to death. Her body was later driven back home, and the gate was opened by security guard Phanuel Okale.
Francis Onebe, a 63-year-old accountant, is accused of killing his wife and dumping her body in a septic tank. The murder charge carries a maximum sentence of death upon conviction. Onebe and his security guard Bonny Oriekot have been in remand at Luzira Prison for over two years after being denied bail twice.
Onebe initially reported his wife’s disappearance on January 6, 2021, claiming that she had been abducted by plainclothes operatives traveling in a “drone.” However, her body was later discovered in a septic tank at the couple’s residence a week later.
Police investigations revealed that Onebe and his wife, Aiso, had previously separated and later reunited and formally married. The Director of Public Prosecutions cited a dispute over sorcery as the motive for the murder in the committal papers, leading to Onebe’s arrest and subsequent charges.