KAMPALA, Uganda | The 14-year prison sentence given to Godfrey Wamala, also known as Troy, for his involvement in the death of musician Moses Ssekibogo, better known as Mowzey Radio, has been upheld by the Court of Appeal.

 Wamala Godfrey, also known as Troy, filed an appeal against his manslaughter conviction and 14-year sentence (less time on remand) after he was found to have violently slammed musician Ssekibogo Moses, also known as Mozey Radio, to the ground at an Entebbe bar. 

Lady Justice Frances Abodo, who is now the Director of Public Prosecutions, on the 28th of October 2019, sentenced Wamala to 14 years on charges of manslaughter after finding that he didn’t kill Mowzey Radio maliciously. Abodo, however, deducted the time Wamala had spent on remand and accordingly sentenced him to 12 years, 3 months, and 4 days

Wamala appealed the sentence in the Court of Appeal because he was unhappy with the conviction and the punishment.

In her five grounds, Wamala argued that Abodo had committed a legal and factual error when she found him guilty based on evidence that was tainted with contradictions, inconsistencies, and willful lies about who saw the assault of the deceased, Mowzey Radio.

  Additionally, Wamala contended that the trial judge’s assessment of the evidence and her decision to deviate from the assessors’ opinion were both justified. The appellant’s post-crime actions, such as running away and hiding, supported the prosecution’s argument.

In a three-justice ruling, Christopher Gashirabake, Dr. Asa Mugenyi, and John Mike Musisi upheld Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo’s sentence for Wamala from October 28, 2019.

“Before sentencing the appellant, the trial judge considered both aggravating and mitigating factors. She took into account the degree of injury that was inflicted on the deceased, the fact that it was inflicted on the head, and also that the deceased was thrown on a concrete floor, which caused him grave internal injury that occasioned his death,” said the Court of Appeal Justices.

The justices of the appellant court added that, however, High Court Judge Abodo, as she was then known, believed that Wamala was a young man of thirty years old, a first-time offender, and capable of reform.

”She then handed down a sentence of 14 years, which she considered reformative. She deducted the period spent on remand, leaving 12 years, 3 months, and 4 days. We cannot fault her on the exercise of her discretion in that regard,” said the justices.