Rev. Ssekibaala pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife Deborah Nakalema who was the headteacher of Kikamulo Church of Uganda Primary School before Luweero High Court Judge Henrietta Wolayo.
The High Court in Luweero has sentenced a former priest to serve 12 years in jail for killing his wife.
Reverend David Ssekibaala of Luweero Anglican Diocese was sentenced after being convicted of killing his wife Deborah Nakalema in 2020. The deceased was the headteacher of Kikamulo Church of Uganda Primary School in Nakaseke district.
Ssekibaala aged 62 years by then strangled the wife and later set the body on fire inside the house. He later ran to his brother where he reported the death of his wife and blamed it on a bomb explosion in their house before he fled to evade arrest.
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The body of Nakalema was found burnt on the following day at their marital home in Kavule zone in Luweero town council.
Police later arrested Ssekibaala and presented him to Court where he was charged with murder of his wife. Since then he has been on remand in Nakasongola prison.
According to the prosecution led by Peace Bashabe, the Luweero Chief Resident State Attorney on 8th November 2020, Ssekibaala murdered his wife Nakalema contrary to sections 171 and 172 of the penal code act cap 128. Ssekibaala however denied the murder charge.
The prosecution told the court that they were ready to proceed with the case and listed children, the LCI Chairman and Police detectives among other witnesses in the case.
However, as witnesses turned up to testify against Ssekibaala, he applied for a plea bargain in exchange for a lenient sentence.
Ssekibaala pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife before Luweero High Court Judge Henrietta Wolayo.
The children told Justice Wolayo that they had forgiven their father since he had accepted the offence.
Justice Wolayo sentenced Ssekibaala to serve 12 years in jail saying that he was in advanced age, remorseful and didn’t waste court time.
She ordered the prison authorities to deduct the time Ssekibaala had been on remand since 19th November 2020.
Ssekibaala will now spend another seven years and 11 months in jail after the time on remand is deducted by prison authorities. He will serve the sentence at Nakasongola prison.
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Ssekibaala was chaplain at Buzzibwera Secondary School but he retired early over alcoholism and repeatedly assaulting his wife.
The couple had been involved in a domestic dispute that priests at St. Mark Cathedral tried to settle in vain.
Cases of domestic violence are rampant in Luweero district. According to the crime report, 534 cases of domestic violence were reported to Police Stations within the Luweero district in 2023 and ranked with the highest cases across the country.
According to the Police reports, the cases of domestic violence in the district have been rising from 106 cases reported in 2019, 114 cases in 2020, 341 cases in 2021 and 501 cases in 2022.