Church demands life sentence as Kiboga prison shooting victims laid to rest

A casket containing the body of Bright Akishuri is lowered into the grave as prison officers and mourners pay their last respects in Rwingwe, Nyakabande, Kisoro District, on Thursday, February 26, 2026. PHOTO/JULIUS HAFASHA

A leader in the Anglican Church of Uganda has called for a life sentence for prison warder Moses Anguyo, who is accused of killing his colleagues at Kiboga Prison, as families across southwestern Uganda buried the victims on Thursday.

A clergyman from Muhabura Diocese issued the appeal during the send-off service for Prison Officer Bright Akishuri, one of those killed in the February 23 shooting.

Presiding over the service at Matinza Church of Uganda in Butuga village, Nyakabande Sub-county, Kisoro District, Sub-Dean Canon Philip Muhire said the suspect should never return to society.

“While the church does not condone killing, this warder who murdered his bosses should not go free,” Muhire said, adding: “We appeal that when such a criminal is caught, as a church we do not advocate for the death penalty again, but at least imprison him for life so he does not return to the community.”

Muhire linked mob action in Uganda to repeated cases of suspects being released without thorough trials, arguing that weak accountability fuels public anger and insecurity.

Akishuri, 33, was among three senior officers shot dead when Anguyo allegedly opened fire on his supervisors before fleeing.

The other victims were Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Hope Catherine, the deputy officer in charge, and Sarah Ayebare, spouse of the officer in charge. A toddler injured in the attack later died from wounds, bringing the death toll to four.

Grief spread across the Kigezi region as three of the victims were buried in separate ceremonies in Kisoro and Rukiga districts.

Ayebare, 35, and her one-year-old child, Salmon Nuwagaba, were laid to rest at Nyabubare Cell, Rwenyangi Parish, Kamwezi Sub-county in Rukiga District, while Akishuri was buried at his ancestral home in Rwingwe, Nyakabande Sub-county, Kisoro District.

At Akishuri’s burial, the Uganda Prisons Service accorded him a ceremonial three-gun salute in honour of his service.

Kisoro Municipality Mayor and incoming District LCV chairperson Richard Ndyana called for urgent mental health support within the Prisons Service, including the recruitment of psychologists and improvements in officers’ welfare.

Kisoro District Woman MP Grace Akifeza Ngabirano appealed for support for Akishuri’s widow, Joy Ingabire Akishuri, and their three children.

Representing the Commissioner General of Prisons, Commissioner Apollo Ankunda described the deaths as an “unfortunate occupational hazard” and assured families that justice would be pursued.

Away from Kigezi, in Rwampara District, the Prisons Service also accorded a ceremonial three-gun salute to Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Hope Catherine during her burial in Uganda’s Ankole Sub-region.

Representing the Prison’s Commissioner General, Acting Director of Administration ACGP John Bosco Tumwebaze said all security agencies were hunting for the suspect.

“All the security agencies are working together, and we must get him. What he did is beyond human understanding,” Tumwebaze said, adding that Anguyo had set “a very bad precedent” in a force known for discipline.

Resident judge of Kiboga High Court Circuit Jameson Karamani described Catherine as “a woman of integrity” known for humility, kindness and justice.

Her mother, Mary Tinkasimire Abwooli, said she had forgiven her daughter’s killer.

“I forgave the killer because I want her to rest in peace,” she said, adding that Catherine was born on February 3, 1989, and died on February 23.

Moses Anguyo remains on the run.