The High court in Lira has sentenced a 32-year-old man, Paul Mugerwa, to 40 years in prison for the murder of Dr Wilfred Olila, a senior ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist and lecturer at Soroti University.
Dr Olila’s killing shocked the Lango sub-region on January 17, 2025, when his body was discovered dumped along the Otuboi–Abalanga road in Kalaki district. Police initially arrested 11 suspects in connection with the murder but later released seven due to lack of evidence linking them to the crime.
Mugerwa, a resident of Mbale, was arrested in February 2026 alongside other suspects. He later pleaded guilty to charges of murder and aggravated robbery and was convicted on his own plea on March 3.
Appearing before Sarah Birungi Kalibbala, Mugerwa was sentenced to 40 years for murder and 20 years for aggravated robbery. The sentences will run concurrently, with time already spent on remand deducted.
In her ruling, Justice Birungi said the court had applied constitutional sentencing guidelines, which provide a framework for determining appropriate penalties for serious offences such as murder and aggravated robbery.
She emphasised the gravity of the offence, noting that the convict had taken the life of a respected medical professional and university lecturer, whose death had a profound impact on the community.
The prosecution had urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, proposing 30 years’ imprisonment. Defence counsel, however, pleaded for leniency, arguing that Mugerwa was a first-time offender, a young adult capable of reform, and a family man.
“He deserves an opportunity to reform,” the defence submitted.
In earlier proceedings on February 13, 2025, four other suspects—Joe George Okello, Steven Kelama, Joseph Okabo, and Jonathan Omara, were charged and remanded to Lira Main Prison. Another suspect, Andrew Okello, was later produced in court.
In March 2025, Alex Itonge, an employee of Jubilee Insurance’s Mbale branch and a student at Uganda Christian University, was also arrested in connection with the case. However, several suspects were subsequently released, leaving a smaller group, including Mugerwa—to face trial on charges of murder and aggravated robbery.
