The Jinja Chief Magistrate’s court has acquitted former Jinja Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Eric Sakwa of manslaughter, aggravated robbery, assault, and malicious damage charges.
In 2020, Sakwa was arrested for allegedly causing the death of Charles Isanga. Sakwa and Bazimbyewa Bumali alias Chris Umar Dindodi, 19, a mechanic, and Mohammed Simba alias Meddie, 31, and a businessman in Jinja are said to have tortured Isanga during a security operation that implemented Presidential directives on COVID-19.
The three were also charged with robbery. The prosecution claims that Sakwa, his alleged accomplices, and others still at large stole Shs80,000, three crates of beer, eight trays of eggs, sachet waragi, and soda all valued at approximately Shs429,000, still, the property of the said Isanga.
Sakwa was subsequently interdicted on grounds that he could not serve in a public office while battling criminal charges.
However, the Jinja Chief Magistrate’s court has acquitted him of the charges, saying that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the accused persons.
The presiding Chief Magistrate Jude Okumu stated that although Isanga died 26 days after the alleged assault in March 2020, there is no proof that either he or his family members complained before his death.
He adds that the statements released in the aftermath were uncoordinated and unreliable.
Okumu further states that none of the prosecution’s witnesses confirmed to the court that Isanga had Shs80, 000 before the alleged assault. And neither did he report anywhere that his money had been stolen.
He also notes that the prosecution did not avail the court with evidence of malicious damage in form of photographs and neither did any of the prosecution’s witnesses implicate Sakwa in damaging property, which casts doubt on why he was accused of malicious damage.
Meanwhile, Sakwa has made an appeal to be reinstated back to his former job.