Retired UPDF Officer’s Trial Pushed to 2026 as State Loses contact with Key Witness

The International Crimes Division of the High Court has adjourned the trial of a retired UPDF Lieutenant Colonel accused of defilement and trafficking of young girls to February 2026, after the prosecution lost contact with two key witnesses.

Lt. Col. Aine Owomugisha Stephen appeared today before Justice Susan Okalany for a further hearing of his case. What was expected to be a pivotal moment in the proceedings, with the state set to present its remaining witnesses, turned into an emotional setback as the witnesses were untraceable.

Chief State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo informed the court that he has lost contact with his key witness from the police, an investigating officer named Livingstone Mukalazi, who has since switched off his known phone numbers. Kyomuhendo stated that Officer Mukalazi, who is believed to be on transfer to Mpigi, has also failed to coordinate the appearance of additional witnesses, including the Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO), leaving the case partially heard.

The prosecution alleges that between 2020 and 2022, in Lira Teso Modern Ward of Lira City, Lt. Col. Aine, as a guardian of an 11-year-old girl, performed a sexual act with her. Furthermore, it is claimed that between 2019 and 2022, in the same area, Lt. Col. Aine Owomugisha recruited, harbored, and maintained the same 11-year-old girl through deception or by exploiting her vulnerability for sexual exploitation.

In earlier video clips presented in court, Lt. Aine Owomugisha blamed his legal troubles on the late Supreme Court Justice Rubby Apio Aweri. He alleges that the judge fabricated these charges against him due to a land dispute they were involved in. Aine further accuses the son of the deceased judge, who now serves as the acting registrar at Gulu High Court, of “inheriting his father’s grudges” and using his powers to keep him imprisoned.

Judge Okalany advised a frustrated Aine Owomugisha that if he possesses evidence to support his claims, he should take the matter to the Inspectorate of Courts. Her authority is limited to hearing evidence related to the defilement and trafficking charges against him.

The judge granted the prosecution another opportunity to locate their witnesses and issued summons requiring both Mukalazi and the SOCO to appear in court to testify on 19th February 2026. In the meantime, Aine Owomugisha has been returned to Luzira Prison until the next hearing.