Cynthia Munwangari gets new lawyers from Kampala Associated Advocates
Cynthia Munwangari, the Burundian girlfriend of city businessman Mathew Kanyamunyu with whom they are jointly charged with murder, has got new lawyers after she reportedly failed to get in touch with her previous lawyers.
Munwangari on Monday appeared before the High court criminal division judge, Stephen Mubiru with a team of new lawyers from Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA).
The legal team that was led by Peter Kabatsi and John Jet Tumwebaze appeared before the judge and asked to be granted more time to enable them to read through the voluminous record of proceedings such that they are able to continue with the trial up to the end.
This group of lawyers led by Kabatsi the former director of public prosecutions and a solicitor general will be replacing a team of three lawyers led by MacDusman Kabega who was also once a DPP in the 1980s.
Kabega has been representing Munwangari and Kanyamunyu together with two other city lawyers Caleb Alaka and Evans Ochieng who have been with them since the case started in 2016 until last Friday when they failed to show up.
To date, efforts to understand why the trio is no longer available to represent the accused in the case have been futile as they are not responding to phone calls. The accused persons told court last week that they had also failed to reach their lawyers through phone calls as they were neither picking nor returning their calls.
By the time the lawyers apparently abandoned the accused, the prosecution led by Jonathan Muwaganya had laid evidence from 13 witnesses. Meanwhile Kanyamunyu today didn’t have lawyers as he told court that he also needed two days to first finalize with the KAA firm to see if they will represent him as well.
Kabatsi also confirmed to court that Kanyamunyu had approached them but he couldn’t confirm whether the law firm had fully been instructed to represent him.
Prosecution alleges that on November 12, 2016, in Lugogo, Nakawa Division, Kanyamunyu and Munwangari unlawfully caused the death of a children rights activist Kenneth Akena aged 33 years by shooting with a pistol at close range after he allegedly accidentally knocked their car in the parking lot.
The case resumes on November 12, 2020, for hearing to commence after the judge dismissed Kanyamunyu’s application seeking to block trial on grounds that he wanted to first conclude plea bargain and the reconciliation cultural ritual known as Mato Oput with the deceased’s family.
In September this year, Kanyamunyu admitted before Akena’s family that indeed he shot Akena and sought for the family forgiveness despite severally denying in court earlier.
