Alex Baingana, Principal Assistant Town Clerk for Central Division, and Assistant Superintendent of Police Andrew Akanyijuka, Officer-in-Charge of Kabale Police Station, welcomed the sentences, highlighting that the vandalism and theft of solar street lights compromise security, especially as Kabale Municipality aims for city status.
Four individuals accused of vandalizing and stealing solar street lights in Kabale Municipality have been sentenced by the court after pleading guilty to various offenses. The accused are Derrick Tayebwa, alias Kiburara, 25, a resident of Habubare Village in Bubaare Sub-county, Rubanda District; Gerevazio Ampaire, alias Muhumuza, 18, a resident of Kigongi Village in Central Division, Kabale Municipality; Martin Muhereza, 28, a resident of Hamurwa Town Council; and Arineitwe Editor, 22, a businesswoman and resident of Kakore Village in Rubanda District. Abel Rusaga and Martin Ensinikweri, alias Muriro, are also among the accused, all of whom reside in Rubanda District.
The suspects were arrested in early September 2024 after being implicated in an investigation and were subsequently remanded to Ndorwa Government Prison. On Monday afternoon, they appeared before the Grade One Magistrate's Court. The first case, with police file number CRB 674/2024, charged the suspects with three counts: theft, malicious damage, and conspiracy to commit a felony. The allegations indicated that between March and September 2024, they vandalized and stole 120 solar street lights from streets in Central Division, valued at 225 million shillings.
Ampaire and Rusaga pleaded guilty to malicious damage and conspiracy but not to theft, while the others denied all charges. The second case, police file number CRB 679/2024, involved similar charges, claiming that between July 29 and September 2024, the accused vandalized and stole solar street lights valued at 9.8 million Shillings in Bugongi, Northern Division. Tayebwa pleaded guilty to all charges in this case, while Ensinikweri admitted to malicious damage and conspiracy but denied theft, with the remaining suspects also pleading not guilty.
Isaac Onyango, the state prosecutor, requested the court impose a heavy sentence on those who pleaded guilty, asserting that the state is prepared to proceed with hearings for those who maintained their innocence. In his ruling, Magistrate Pascal Opolot sentenced Ampaire and Rusaga to three years for malicious damage and two years for conspiracy to commit a felony, resulting in a three-year sentence since they are first-time offenders.
In the second case, Tayebwa and Ensinikweri received seven years for theft, three years for malicious damage, and three years for conspiracy, with their sentences set to run concurrently. However, due to Tayebwa's status as a habitual offender, having previously been sentenced to three years for theft by the same court, he will serve a total of ten years—three years for the first case and seven years for the second case.
Opolot stated that Kabale Municipality would be safer with Tayebwa incarcerated for the next ten years. Muhereza and Arineitwe were remanded to Ndorwa Government Prison until October 23, 2024. Alex Baingana, Principal Assistant Town Clerk for Central Division, and Assistant Superintendent of Police Andrew Akanyijuka, Officer-in-Charge of Kabale Police Station, welcomed the sentences, highlighting that the vandalism and theft of solar street lights compromise security, especially as Kabale Municipality aims for city status.
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The solar lights, valued at 225.7 million shillings, were installed in 2023 along various roads, including the Stadium area, Katuna, Mukombe, Johnson, Jackson, Kisoro, Mukombe, Rwakiseta, Kazooba, Muhumuza, and Rugarama, to enhance security at night, facilitate safe movement for residents, and beautify the town in preparation for its elevation to city status.
The solar street light project, costing 1.99 billion shillings, was supported under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program, with funding from the World Bank. In April, Kabale district security authorities recommended that on-site criminals found vandalizing solar street lights be shot on sight, following the theft and vandalism of 17 solar street lights.
