Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s court has sentenced Vincent Mugabi, a 29-year-old car washer, to 21 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing more than Shs 50 million from a client’s vehicle.
Mugabi, who worked at Red Basket Washing Bay and Restaurant opposite Spear House along Jinja Road in Kampala, was accused of stealing the money from the vehicle of lawyer Nasser Sserunjogi, which he had been assigned to clean.
The sentence was handed down on Tuesday by chief magistrate Ronald Kayizzi after Mugabi entered a plea bargain agreement with the complainant. The court noted that Mugabi had already spent one year, two months, and 13 days on remand, which would be deducted from his sentence, leaving him with roughly six months to serve.
Under the terms of the plea bargain, Mugabi is also required to compensate Sserunjogi within six months after completing his sentence. Court records show that on July 13, 2024, Mugabi, who lives in Makindye-Luwafu, stole $3,300 (about Shs 11.4 million), €9,000 (about Shs 36 million), and Shs 2.5 million in cash from Sserunjogi’s Toyota Land Cruiser, registration number UBL 862U.
Sserunjogi told the court that he had known Mugabi for over 11 years and had trusted him with his vehicles.
Sserunjogi testified before court that Mugabi used to clean his cars regularly, and he often left money inside, and always found everything intact until that day. Investigations revealed that after taking the money, Mugabi left the car keys with a colleague identified as Edgar and disappeared around 7 p.m.
When Sserunjogi returned later to pick up his vehicle, he found the money missing and immediately reported the matter to Kampala Central Police Station (CPS).
Arrest and recovery
Police traced Mugabi to Tek Country Gardens in Buwama, Mpigi district, where he was arrested. At the time of his arrest, officers recovered Shs 2.9 million and €5,200 in his possession.
He later confessed to the theft in a statement recorded by detective constable Alex Kilama. Mugabi was charged and convicted of stealing from a motor vehicle, contrary to Section 250(c) of the Penal Code Act. In his ruling, Magistrate Kayizzi described the offense as “a serious breach of trust” and urged service workers to uphold honesty in their dealings with clients.
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