The Kampala businessman Mathew Kanyamunyu has been released from prison after serving his sentence for shooting and killing a child rights activist Kenneth Akena in 2016. According to Uganda prisons authorities Kanyamunyu was released on 12th a Friday morning April 2024
However, Kanyamunyu was sentenced to five years and one month in jail but he has served three years and five months after pleading guilty.
The Uganda prison’s spokesperson Frank Baine said that Kanyamunyu was released upon making his earliest period of discharge and he was discharged like any other prisoner.
“He is being integrated into the society after serving his punishment. We are optimistic that he will not re-offend. Said Baine
On November 12th 2020, after pleading guilty, Kanyamunyu was was sentenced to prison for manslaughter. However, he initially denied the charges but later as the trial progressed with evidence, Mr Kanyamunyu switched his plea from ‘not guilty’ to ‘guilty’.
It is reported that Kanyamunyu also approached Kenneth’s cultural elders and relatives to ask for forgiveness upon killing their son and therefore wished to reconcile with the victim’s family.
Kanyamunyu voluntarily pleaded guilty under the traditional justice mechanism mato-oput. He however proceeded to the director of Public Prosecutions and requested to erase his name from the criminal trial in-order for him to complete the justice process under the mato-oput process and requested for plea bargaining.
The DPP, justice Jane Frances Abodo and trial judge Stephen Mubiru were opposed to postponing the trial but were open to alternative dispute resolution.
By Kanyamunyu opting to embrace plea bargaining with DPP, this lessened the murder charge to manslaughter on account that Kanyamunyu did not have prior intention to shoot and kill Kenneth Akena but rather the homicide was driven by an instant brawl between the two parties.
His girlfriend Cynthia Munwangari who was with Kanyamunyu when the unfortunate incident took place but wasn’t involved saw same charges dropped altogether and released.
