KAMPALA, Uganda — The High Court has ordered a formal judicial inquest into the 2018 killing of Yasin Kawuma, the driver of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, reopening scrutiny of one of the country’s most controversial unresolved political killings.
In a ruling delivered on July 6, 2026, Justice Harriet Grace Magala directed the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Arua to conduct an official inquest into Kawuma’s death, saying the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting warrant a public fact-finding process.
The decision comes nearly eight years after Kawuma was killed during political unrest linked to the highly charged Arua Municipality parliamentary by-election campaign in August 2018.
Justice Magala ruled that establishing the facts surrounding the death was in the interests of justice, Kawuma’s family and the wider public.
“An inquest assists in finding answers to the circumstances surrounding the death of the person whose life was suspected to have been unjustly taken away,” the judge stated.
“It is not a criminal trial or a process to apportion guilt but a fact-finding exercise.”
Petition sought answers after years without prosecution
The application was filed by human rights lawyer and activist Agatha Mwesigwa, who argued that the circumstances of Kawuma’s death had never been independently examined despite widespread public concern and allegations of state involvement.
The Attorney General opposed the petition, arguing that the application was premature and improperly sought to compel the Executive to exercise statutory powers.
Government lawyers also challenged Mwesigwa’s standing, arguing that she was not a direct witness to the shooting.
However, Justice Magala dismissed those objections, noting that postmortem evidence clearly established that Kawuma died from gunshot wounds and severe brain injuries, facts that were not disputed by the state.
While the court agreed it could not compel the minister responsible to appoint a coroner, it found that the High Court possesses independent powers under Uganda’s Inquests Act to order an inquiry where circumstances justify judicial intervention.
A killing that shocked Uganda
Kawuma was killed on August 13, 2018, during tensions surrounding the Arua Municipality by-election.
At the time, Bobi Wine was campaigning for independent candidate Kassiano Wadri, who was contesting against candidates aligned with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The campaign period was marked by escalating tensions between opposition supporters and security forces.
Violence broke out after rival political processions converged in Arua town. Security agencies alleged that President Yoweri Museveni’s convoy had been attacked with stones, triggering a security crackdown.
During the operation, live ammunition was fired.
Kawuma was seated in the passenger seat of Bobi Wine’s Toyota Tundra near Pacific Hotel in Arua when a bullet pierced the vehicle’s windscreen and struck him.
He died instantly.
Images of Kawuma’s lifeless body inside the vehicle circulated widely on social media and quickly became a symbol of alleged state repression during the election period.
Arrests, treason charges and unanswered questions
Following the violence, Bobi Wine, several opposition Members of Parliament and dozens of supporters were arrested.
Authorities later charged them with treason, accusing them of involvement in attacks against the President’s convoy.
The treason charges were eventually withdrawn, but no one has ever been charged or prosecuted over Kawuma’s death.
Human rights organisations, opposition politicians and civil society groups have repeatedly called for an independent investigation into the killing, arguing that the absence of accountability has undermined public confidence in the justice system.
What the inquest will examine
The judicial inquest ordered by Justice Magala will not function as a criminal trial.
Instead, the Arua Chief Magistrate’s Court will seek to establish:
- The identity of the deceased.
- The cause of death.
- The circumstances surrounding the shooting.
- When, where and how the death occurred.
The proceedings could involve testimony from witnesses, medical experts, investigators and other individuals connected to the events of August 2018.
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Justice Magala also referenced Article 22(1) of Uganda’s Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, arguing that violent and unexplained deaths require meaningful judicial scrutiny.
The court made no order regarding legal costs.
Political significance
The ruling is likely to reignite debate over accountability for politically sensitive killings in Uganda and could place renewed focus on events surrounding the 2018 Arua by-election, which marked a turning point in the political rise of Bobi Wine and intensified tensions between the opposition and the state.
For Kawuma’s family and supporters, the inquest represents the first formal judicial attempt to establish what happened on the day he was killed.
