President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has granted a presidential pardon to businessman Muhammad Ssebuufu, bringing an early end to his prison term.

The development was confirmed by Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Frank Baine, who said the pardon is contained in a presidential communiqué dated February 21, 2026. Authorities did not immediately provide further explanation regarding the decision.

Ssebuufu was convicted over the 2015 killing of businesswoman Betty Donah Katusabe. Court records show that Katusabe was abducted from her residence in Bwebajja along Entebbe Road on October 21, 2015, before being taken to Pine Car Bond on Lumumba Avenue in Kampala, where she was tortured and later died.

The attack reportedly stemmed from a disagreement over an outstanding balance of nine million shillings on a vehicle transaction between Katusabe and Ssebuufu. During the incident, her mobile phone and SIM cards were also taken.

In 2019, the High Court, presided over by Lady Justice Flavia Anglin Ssenoga, sentenced Ssebuufu and several co-accused to prison terms ranging from 20 to 40 years after finding them guilty of murder, kidnapping with intent to murder, and aggravated robbery. The court further ordered compensation of Shs100 million to Katusabe’s family.

However, in 2021, the Court of Appeal of Uganda revised several of the sentences after hearing appeals from the convicts. A panel comprising Justices Fredrick Egonda-Ntende, Catherine Bamugemereire, and Christopher Izama Madrama reduced Ssebuufu’s initial 40-year sentence to 18 years, one month, and nine days.

The appellate court also lowered the prison terms of some co-convicts, citing mitigating factors such as their status as first-time offenders and the excessive nature of the original sentences. At the same time, it overturned the convictions of three of the accused after finding that evidence did not place them at the crime scene.

While certain charges, including aggravated robbery and kidnapping with intent to murder, were dismissed for lack of sufficient proof, the murder convictions for the remaining individuals were upheld. The compensation award to the victim’s family was maintained.

President Museveni’s decision to pardon Ssebuufu is exercised under the constitutional prerogative of mercy, which allows the Head of State to remit or reduce sentences. The move is likely to spark public debate, given the gravity of the crime and the lengthy judicial process that preceded it.