Ugandan Court Sentences Eight Men to Death for 2024 Murders

The High Court in Iganga, Uganda, has sentenced eight men to death for the 2024 murders of Robert Bagume and Moses Okech. The victims were killed on August 19, 2024, in the Namayingo District near Lake Victoria. Justice David Batema found that the defendants, including a former local council chairman, were responsible for beating the two men to death with sticks, stones, and a pickaxe after seizing them near the lake.

Reports regarding the motive for the attack differ. Christian news agencies, citing local witnesses, claim the victims were evangelists who had been sharing the Gospel with fishermen for three months and were targeted for their faith. These accounts allege that the assailants destroyed Bibles and shouted religious slogans during the assault. Conversely, official court documents describe the incident as a mob attack triggered by accusations of theft and assault, noting no explicit mention of religious motivation in the legal findings.