Court of Appeal Upholds Troy’s 12-Year Sentence Over Mowzey Radio’s Death

The  Court of Appeal has upheld a 12-year,  three-months and 4 days  jail sentence handed to Godfrey Wamala alias Troy for the killing of popular Ugandan musician Moses Ssekibogo, also known as Mozey Radio in 2018.

Troy had challenged the sentence as being harsh and excessive, given that he had been convicted of a lesser offence of manslaughter, killing without malice.

On Friday, the trio of justices, Christopher Gashirabake, Dr Asa Mugenyi, and John Mike Musisi, dismissed Wamala’s appeal in its entirety, ruling that the evidence against him was sufficient and that the trial judge had rightly convicted him of manslaughter.

Wamala sought to overturn both the conviction and sentence, arguing that the prosecution’s case was marred  with contradictions and that the 14-year sentence which was later reduced to 12 years, 3 months and 4 days due to time spent on remand was excessive.

Evidence shows that  Mozey Radio, one of the founders of the Goodlyfe Crew, sustained fatal head injuries after Wamala slammed him to the ground during a brawl at De Bar in Entebbe on January 22, 2018. He died days later at Case Clinic.

In their judgment, the justices ruled that two eyewitnesses, Musimire Pamela and Ebangit David Otim alias producer Washington had positively identified Wamala as the person who threw the deceased to the ground there by dismissing  his claim that lighting conditions at the bar were too poor for proper identification.

Wamala’s conduct after the incident- fleeing the scene, abandoning his belongings, and going into hiding was found to be indicative of guilt leading to the court noting that his sudden disappearance from the area is incompatible with an innocent conduct. 

On the matter of sentencing, Wamala’s lawyer argued that the 14-year sentence was harsh compared to similar cases where lighter penalties were handed down. He proposed a five-year term.

But the justices disagreed, citing aggravating circumstances including the degree of the head  injury inflicted on the Mowzey Radio having been  thrown on a concrete floor which caused grave internal injuries, thus concurring with then justice Jane Frances Abodo  that this warranted a heavier sentence.

Troy, who is destined to leave prison in 2029, is however at liberty to take a last chance on appeal before the Supreme Court.