In a verdict that sent shockwaves through the medical community, Dr. Mathew Kirabo, a 32-year-old former emergency unit physician at Mulago Hospital, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his 19-year-old girlfriend, Desire Mirembe, in July 2015.
Mukono High Court’s Justice Henry Kaweesa Isabirye delivered the sentence on Tuesday, taking into account Kirabo's status as a first-time offender and his potential for rehabilitation. The court, however, deducted the one month and 7 days that Kirabo had spent on remand, ordering him to serve the remaining 29 years, 10 months, and 23 days at Luzira prison.
Mirembe, a promising medical student at Makerere University at the time of her tragic death, was found murdered in July 2015, leading to an eight-year legal battle that concluded with Kirabo's conviction in absentia on May 30, 2022.
During the trial, the court heard testimonies from 14 witnesses, and Kirabo was ultimately apprehended by Interpol in Kenya on September 12, 2023. He was then extradited to Uganda to face the final stages of the trial.
Before the sentencing, Dr. Kirabo expressed condolences to Mirembe’s family, acknowledging her untimely death and describing her as a promising young woman. He expressed regret for being unable to mourn her due to his incarceration and claimed to have engaged private investigators to uncover the truth while maintaining his innocence.
In his plea for leniency, Kirabo's lawyer, Henry Kunya, requested the court not to impose the maximum penalty of death, as sought by the prosecution, but rather to grant his client a chance to live and reform.
Prosecutors Happiness Ayinebyona and Emily Ninsiima argued for the death penalty, citing Kirabo's lack of remorse throughout the trial, his forgery of COVID-19 results, a subsequent traditional wedding, and his flight from the country as aggravating factors.
Mr. Emmanuel Musoke, the deceased’s father, spoke on behalf of the family, expressing relief at the conclusion of the trial and stating, "Justice has been served. I’m not God, so I cannot say he should be murdered too." Kirabo's arrest in Kenya and subsequent extradition marked the final chapter in a long and painful legal journey for both families involved.
