EDITOR
The High Court in Masindi has convicted three people, including the wife of the late Masindi District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Jino Abiriga, for his brutal murder in December 2023.
The convicts — Betty Cheroitic (wife of the deceased), Joshua Namreng, and Martin Kipsang — appeared before Masindi Resident Judge Mary Babirye on Thursday, September 11, 2025, where they pleaded guilty to murder during an ongoing criminal session.
Reading the facts of the case before court, Resident State Attorney Charlotte Nanziri revealed that Cheroitic masterminded the murder after learning of her husband’s relationship with another woman, identified as Atuhura Suzan. Nanziri told court that Cheroitic had earlier made two unsuccessful attempts to kill Suzan before turning her plan toward her husband.
According to prosecution, Cheroitic enlisted Kipsang, who then recruited Namreng, to execute the crime. On December 26, 2023, their first attempt on Dr. Abiriga’s life failed when he woke up and locked the door after sensing movement outside his home.
On January 6, 2024, after further pressure from Cheroitic, the two men returned to Masindi from Bukwo. They booked a room at Valentine Guest House before proceeding to Cheroitic’s home, where she had left the gate open and led them to the bedroom where Dr. Abiriga was sleeping.
The attackers struck him on the head with hoe handles, dragged him to the floor, and slit his throat with a knife, killing him instantly. They then cleaned and dressed the body in a red T-shirt and blue trousers, carried it on a ladder, and dumped it under a mango tree about 50 meters from the house.
The killers later returned to Valentine Guest House, disposed of their bloodstained clothes in a pit latrine, and fled Masindi Municipality at around 5:30 a.m.
Police tracked and arrested Kipsang and Namreng in Bukwo, recovering several exhibits, including hoe handles, the deceased’s shoes, clothing, a pillow cover, and his work ID. All items were submitted for forensic analysis, and the suspects led investigators in reconstructing the crime scene.
In her submission, Nanziri described the late Dr. Abiriga as a respected figure who served the community with integrity and urged the court to hand down a deterrent sentence.
Defense lawyer Harriet Ajok pleaded for leniency, citing the suspects’ guilty plea and their cooperation with investigators.
Judge Babirye convicted all three of murder and set September 22, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. for sentencing.
Dr. Jino Abiriga was murdered on December 6, 2023, at his home in Kijura North. His body was discovered by neighbors the following morning.
