A Ugandan high court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 105 years in prison for the murder of his four girlfriends and a baby in Nakulabye, Rubaga Division in Kampala. 

Musa Musasizi pleaded guilty to the charges before he was convicted by the trial Judge Margaret Mutonyi.

An unemployed youth and a resident of Mujomba zone 6 in Nakulabye, he was arrested on March 14, 2021, following the death of five women and a three-month-old baby in the area.

He was first arraigned before Mwanga II Magistrate’s Court and charged with six counts of murder and remanded to Kitalya prison.

Prosecutors told the court that Musasizi on March 14, 2021, with malice aforethought murdered one Noreen Nabirye. 

He is also said to have murdered Violet Kansiime, Abigail Nakitende on March 12 and Elizabeth Mutesi on March 15, 2021.

In a separate case, Musasizi was jointly charged with 23-year-old 'boda boda' rider Abdul Kasaija, also resident in Rubaga Division, with the murder of Mackline Ahereza on February 22, 2021. 

Kasaija was further charged for being an accessory to murder on allegations that he helped Musaizi to dump the body of Ahereza on February 22, 2021 in an effort to help him escape punishment.

According to a court hearing, Musasizi would court the victims, have intercourse with them, before killing them by either hitting on their heads with a blunt object or strangling.

He would later dump their bodies in places almost close to each other in Nakulabye and set them on fire.

Police said Musasizi confessed to having murdered the said women in which he explained that he killed Ahereza after suspecting her of having another boyfriend.

He further revealed that he strangled Kansiime to death, then went and dumped her body. And when he returned to his home, he strangled her three-month-old baby.

He also informed the police that he strangled Mutesi, a resident of Makerere, because they got into a fight when she rejected Ush50,000 ($13.21) he had offered her as transport, on grounds that it was less than she expected after having intercourse with him.

Police said they retrieved clothes belonging to Musaizi's victims from his neighbour's latrine. - MONITOR

Philippine Ambassador to Rwanda Marie Charlotte G. Tang (with residence in Nairobi) and Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Vincent Biruta have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Establishment of General Bilateral Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda in Kigali, Rwanda.

During a tête-à-tête prior to the signing ceremony, Ambassador Tang hailed the agreement as a milestone in Philippines-Rwanda relations, as it will provide direction and structure for cooperation between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Biruta noted the longstanding and cordial ties between Rwanda and the Philippines, and expressed the hope that the MOU would open doors for the two countries to have a more vibrant engagement across different sectors.

Under the MOU, the Philippines and Rwanda will collaborate in the fields of human resources development, scientific and technological exchanges, education, health, agriculture, gender, youth, environmental issues, and security.

During her visit to Kigali, Ambassador Tang also took the opportunity to meet with Rwandan officials from the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, the Rwanda National Police, and the Rwanda Development Board, initiating discussions on specific collaborations in support of the newly-signed MOU.

Rwanda, a small landlocked country in central Africa, has emerged from the ashes of the 1994 Rwandan genocide to become one of Africa’s most dynamic and fastest-growing economies. Rwanda, known as the “land of a thousand hills”, is also recognized for its conservation success of the critically endangered mountain gorilla. By Bob Koigi, African Business Community

President Samia Suluhu Hassan could not attend Kenya's Jamhuri Day (Independence Day) celebrations because she was preoccupied with overseeing the recovery process of the recent flash floods and landslides, said Tanzania's Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi Tuesday.

"At the moment, President Hassan is leading government efforts in dealing with the deadly deluge," Mwinyi, who represented the president at the Jamhuri Day celebrations, told Kenyan President William Ruto in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. 

Jamhuri Day, observed on December 12 each year, is one of the most important national holidays in Kenya.

Kenya obtained its independence from the British on December 12, 1963.

Read: Kenya @60: Britain's brutal colonialism, cover-up

The flash floods and landslides that occurred on December 3 in Hanang District in the Manyara region in northern Tanzania have killed 89 people, injured 139 more people, left 5,600 other people homeless, destroyed more than 750 hectares of farm crops, and killed many livestock. Xinhua/The East African

A new research by TIFA has shed light on the financial challenges faced by Kenyan citizens due to the soaring cost of living.

The report discloses that a significant 87% of Kenyans have been compelled to reduce their personal expenditure in response to these economic pressures.

The report further breaks down the categories where Kenyans have had to cut back on their spending. Transportation stands out as one of the most affected sectors, with 15% of respondents reporting reductions in this area.

Additionally, clothing and entertainment have also seen expenditure cuts, accounting for 9% and 8% of the reductions, respectively.

According to the TIFA report, food is the primary category where individuals across different income groups have had to trim their expenses due to inflation. This trend holds true for Kenyans in various income brackets, with those earning above Sh. 20,000/- reducing their food expenditure slightly less than those earning below Sh. 5,000/- (79% vs. 88%).

The report highlights that a staggering 84% of Kenyans now perceive their current economic situation as worse than it was a year ago, irrespective of their political affiliations. Interestingly, supporters of the Kenya Kwanza government are reported to be four times more likely to feel better off compared to opposition supporters (11% vs. 3%).

The Kenya Kwanza administration faces the challenging task of addressing a declining economy and the sharp increase in the cost of living, which has compelled Kenyans to dig deeper into their pockets, particularly when purchasing essentials like fuel. By Phidel Kizito, Capital News