Wavamunno: I was a thief because I was greedy, I am so sorry

Johnson Kamya Wavamunno, one of the most renown inmate on death row was released last week after 23 years in jail.

He was convicted on aggravated robbery and murder by the high court judge Constance Byamugisha on February 9, 1999.

Wavamunno who was committed on death row for robbing a Barclays bank billion van on February 29, 1999, in which operation a police constable was killed, left jail in pomp and he is speaking a language of a reformed man.

He apologized to his family, and the entire country for causing them “agony”.

“I brought agony and trauma to my brothers and sisters, I wish to say sorry to them. I stole money because of greed,” Wavamunno said after a thanksgiving ceremony at All Saints Church in Mbarara. The church service was presided over by Rev Emmanuel Munyaneza, the curate of the church.

Wavamunno said he missed his family the most, especially his children. His wife died while he was in prison.

“I was missing my children. Worse still, my wife died while I was in jail. My children studied through hardships, though they managed to make it to university.”

The ex-inmate confessed that he has realized the true meaning of salvation.

“I used to drive posh cars and would go to church to spot beautiful girls, rather than pray. The old is gone.” He said.

The ex-convict however said he has no plans to remarry.

“How can you marry when you are 60?” he asked.

Wavamunno said he is now a reformed man and was thankful to God for giving him a second chance.

“After I was sentenced to death and had exhausted all the courts, I expected to be executed. We were requested to make our wills and waited for the executioner. During the waiting period, I developed hypertension and diabetes. I required constant medication, which prisons could not provide and I had to rely on my family. If it were not for God’s mercy, I would not have come out of prison.”

Wavamunno got a lease of life when constitutional court in 2006 ruled that if a death sentence was not carried out within three years, the prisoner is automatically commuted to life imprisonment which is 20 years.