By Luzinda Peter
The Masindi High Court in Uganda has sentenced the late Dr Jino Abiriga’s widow, 31 year old Betty Cherotich and her two accomplices Martin Kipsang and Joshua Namurenge to 33 years each in prison for murdering the former Masindi District Acting Health Officer.
The trio were sentenced on Tuesday after they pleaded guilty to the murder charges on September 11th before the Masindi Resident Judge, Lady Justice Mary Babirye.
During hearing, state attorney Ms Charlotte Nanziri told Court that when Cherotich learnt about the late Abiriga’s affair with Susan Atuhuura in December last year, she started contemplating about killing her husband.
Cherotich on the 23rd of December 2023, rung Kipsang with the plan to kill the deceased, they negotiated on payment of UGX 2.5 million to carry out the said murder.
On 5th January 2024, Namurenge and Kipsang travelled from Bukwo district to Masindi to execute their mission.
Ms Nanziri further told court that Kipsang and Namurenge stayed at Valentines Guest House waiting for signal through text messages from Cherotich to go and attack the deceased from his home.
The late Dr Jino Abiriga
Afterwards, the duo went to a nearby hardware shop and bought two hoe handles to be used to assault the deceased.
On the night of the murder, January 6, 2024, , Namurenge and Kipsang who were still at Valentines Guest House got a text message from Cherotich and they went to the home of the deceased.
Lady Justice Mary Babirye narrated that telephone printouts showing the various communications were extracted.
Cherotich opened the gate giving Namurenge and Kipsang access to the home where they were led to the bedroom where the deceased was sleeping.
Kipsang hit the deceased on the head with the hoe handle and the three dragged the deceased to the floor where they slit his throat open with a knife, killing him instantly.
The trio cleaned the dead body, dressed it in a red T-shirt and blue trousers before they carried it on a small ladder and dumped it 50 metres away from his house under a mango tree.
Dr Abiriga’s body was recovered by neighbours the following day on December 7, 2024.
After accomplishing their mission, Kipsang and Namureng returned to Valentine Guest House where they dumped the blood-stained clothes in a pit latrine and left Masindi at around 5am.
Later, the duo was tracked down, and arrested in Bukwo district from where they were transferred to Masindi for legal action.
The three convicts, when given an opportunity to speak during their conviction, asked for forgiveness before the court with the widow, Cherotich telling court that she is now a widow who has to look after the former couple’s children.
Cherotich further noted that she contracted the two men to murder her late husband out of rage after learning that he had a girlfriend in Masindi.
The two men 31 year old Kipsang, a carpenter from Ruruk village and 36 year old Namureng a builder from Tarobya village in Bukwo district also asked for forgiveness noting that they were first time offenders.
While sentencing the trio, Justice Babirye noted that the late Dr Abiriga was a respected person of high integrity, and provided essential services to the people whose murderers should not go unforgiven.
“The maximum sentence in this case would be 35 years but considering other aggravated factors, it goes up to 45 years. However, after considering that the three pleaded guilty and were remorseful, I now reduce the sentence to 33 years, three months and 23 days each with effect from today 23rd September 23, 2025” she said.
Justice Babirye further noted that the trio had a right to appeal their sentence within 30 days in if they were not satisfied with the court’s ruling.”
