The trial of suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group leader Jamilu Mukulu has been adjourned to February 9, 2026, after the court heard testimonies from four of the 55 expected prosecution witnesses.
Mukulu, who was arrested on July 10, 2015, has spent over 10 years on remand. He is accused of issuing orders to his co-accused to carry out murders and robberies in several districts, including Mayuge, Bugiri, Tororo, Mbarara, Namayingo, Kampala, Wakiso, Jinja, Mbale, and Budaka between 2011 and 2015.
The group is also accused of attacking Bugiri police station and killing officers, Karim Tenywa and Muzamir Babale. The accused were arrested from various locations in Uganda and Tanzania between 2014 and 2015.
According to evidence tendered at the pre-trial stage by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Lino Anguzu, Mukulu is indicted as the leader of the ADF and the Salaf Muslim community in Uganda.
The prosecution further alleges that between 2011 and 2014, Mukulu and his co-accused acquired firearms, underwent military training in neighbouring countries, and secured funding to pursue political, religious, and social motives through violence.
Their charges date back as far as the 1998 ADF attack on Kichwamba Technical Institute, in which more than 80 students were killed. Among the charges Mukulu faces is the murder of prominent Muslim clerics Sheikh Yunus Abubaker Mandanga and Sheikh Dakitoor Muwaya, a top Shia religious leader.
His case is being heard by a panel of four justices of the International Crimes Division (ICD) of the High court; Michael Elubu, Dr Andrew Bashaija, Susan Okalany, and Steven Mubiru, with the trial allocated a one-week hearing session every quarter.
The first prosecution witness took the stand on Monday, November 17, and identified accused person number one, Ali Kabambwe alias Munakenya, as the individual who allegedly shot and killed the LC III chairperson of Namayingo district on February 1, 2015.
On Wednesday, the third witness implicated another accused, Ibrahim Kyessa, described as Kabambwe’s accomplice. According to chief state attorney Richard Birivumbuka, Kyessa entered a plea-bargain agreement with the state, pleaded guilty to terrorism, murder, aggravated robbery, and membership in the ADF, and was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison.
Two medical doctors have also testified, presenting a postmortem report from Mulago national referral hospital on the death of Muslim cleric Abdul Khadir Muwaya Ductoor, whose cause of death was confirmed as gunshot wounds sustained during a violent attack.
The second doctor, Dr Emmanuel Nuwamanya, told the court that upon examining Mukulu, he found him to be of normal mental state, based on his behaviour, speech, and thought processes.
Dr Nuwamanya, a police surgeon and senior commissioner of police serving as director of police health services at Nsambya barracks, testified that on July 11, 2015, he received a request from Namayingo police station (via Police Form 24) to assess Mukulu for injuries and mental status.
The doctor stated that Mukulu reported being 51 years old, showed no physical injuries or scars, and walked out of the examination room without difficulty. He signed and stamped the Police Form 24, which has now been admitted as a prosecution exhibit.
About the Author
