President Museveni has pardoned former Pine Car bond proprietor and Kampaal businessman, Muhammad Ssebuwufu.
Ssebuwufu who was convicted of kidnaping and later torturing to death, businesswoman Betty Donah Katusabe for failure to clear an outstanding debt of shs9 million was in 2019 sentenced to 40 years imprisonment.
However, on appeal, his sentence was reduced to 18 years.
On Friday, Prisons said President Museveni had exercised his prerogative of mercy to pardon Ssebuwufu.
“The President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in accordance with Article 121 (4) (a) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (as amended) and on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy, has exercised his constitutional powers to grant pardon to Convicted Prisoner No. 489, Hajji Muhammad Ssebufu, in an instrument dated 21st February 2026,” prisons said.
“Henceforth, on receipt of the instrument, the beneficiary has been released from prison on 27th February 2026.”
The case
In a case that attracted public attention, Ssebuwufu and six others masterminded the murder of Dona Katusabe, a city businesswoman who was tortured to death at Pine car bond in Kampala for failing to pay a balance of Shs 9 million for a car she had earlier bought.
Prosecution alleges told court that the accused on October 21, 2015 at Pine Car Bond on Lumumba Avenue in Kampala murdered Katusabe and robbed her of her mobile phone valued at Shs300, 000 before killing her using a panga and sticks.
Evidence in court indicated that on the fateful day , Katushabe was kidnapped from Entebbe and driven to Pine Car Bond on Lumumba Avenue in a bid to force her clear the nine million shillings debt but on refusal, she was severely beaten and late succumbed to the torture injuries.
Following the torture, Katushabe reached out to her lawyers of Tumwebaza, Atugonza and Kobusingye Company Advocates to come to her rescue, prompting one Peter Tumusiime to rush to the scene and he found her weak following the torture.
