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32 Kenyans held by Ugandan military welcomed back home

The group was released last week after the General Court Martial (GCM) overturned an earlier ruling by a lower court, citing procedural irregularities during the trial. (Photo: Handout)

By Mary Wambui | 29 Apr 2024

A Ugandan military court punished them last year for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

The Turkana County Government has received 32 young men who had been indicted for 20 years in Ugandan prisons for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

The Kenyans were apprehended after they were found with 28 submachine guns and 801 bullets in the northeastern Ugandan district of Moroto and were sentenced last April.

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They were tried under Ugandan law, specifically Section 119 of the Uganda People's Defence Forces Act, which subjects individuals found with weapons, ammunition, or equipment monopolised by the armed forces to military law and trial by a court martial.

The group was released last week after the General Court Martial (GCM) overturned an earlier ruling by a lower court, citing procedural irregularities during the trial.

The GCM found that seven of the accused were minors, aged below 18, who should not have been tried by a military court.

At their welcome event in Urum village, Lokiriama/Lorengkippi Ward, on Sunday, the group was received by Ugandan leaders and county officials led by Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai.

"Diverse efforts were put in to actualise their release. I particularly want to recognise the abundant goodwill of the presidents of Kenya and Uganda towards this end," the governor said.

"This would not have been possible, even legally, without their support," he said amid calls by spiritual leaders for the men to undergo cleansing.

The governor further called for honesty in the mitigation of conflicts in light of constant cross-border tensions between Turkana residents and the people of Karamajong.

Loima MP Protus Akujah urged locals crossing into Uganda to respect the country's regulations and discouraged intercommunal raids.

Ugandan leaders, led by Kotido MP Abraham Loki Lokopirmore, called for peaceful coexistence among the Turkana and Karamoja.

"Borders are inconsequential since we all fall under the Ateker umbrella. All that matters is coexisting peacefully," he said.