DPP Withdraws Murder Charges against Minister Idah Erios Nantaba

The Director of Public Prosecutions Mike Chibita has on September 9 withdrawn the murder charge against the Information, Communication and Technology state minister Idah Erios Nantaba and her co-accused.

The minister had been summoned on June 28, 2019, by the Mukono chief magistrate, Juliet Hatanga, together with police constables, Ronald Opira, Ronald Baganza and Edward Cherotich to appear in court to answer charges of the murder of Ronald Ssebulime.

However, on Monday, the chief magistrate Mukono court has been issued with a withdrawal form exonerating the minister off the charge of murder.

“This is to inform court that the Director of Prosecutions has decided to discontinue proceedings against Idah Erios Nantaba Ronald Opira, Ronald Baganza and Edward Cherotich charged with murder,” reads in part the withdraw form singed by Justice Chibita.

Ssebulime was gunned down in cold blood on March 24, 2019, at Nagojje trading center in Mukono district after Nantaba raised alarm that he was trailing on a motorcycle with intentions of killing her.  It is said that he was heading to visit his children at school, but was apprehended by police and bundled on police patrol.

The deceased was apprehended, handcuffed and dumped on police patrol. He was later pulled off the truck and shot to death at close range.

The police later gave contradicting statements about his death and soon thereafter apologized to the public for the misleading information about Ssebulime’s murder. Investigations into the matter have since hit a dead end, especially after police failing to extract a statement from Nantaba.

At the closure of the case it had been noted that only corporal Ssali, who admitted to have pulled the trigger, appeared before court. Nantaba repeatedly ignored police summons to record a statement on the incident.