Army Court Sentences Soldier to 40 Year Jail Term for Murder

The General Court Martial on Friday sentenced Lance Corporal Geoffrey Odaga to 40 years in prison over the murder of three people and injuring one in Gulu.

Prosecution adduced evidence before court that on August 4, L/cpl Geoffrey Odaga shot dead Sunday Wokorach Ouma, Denis Richard Ochen and Fred Yasin at Panda 2 bar in Kabedo Opong Village.

Court also heard that Odaga committed aggravated robbery of Ugshs 61,500 and four bottles of beer. Odaga was also accused of attempting to unlawfully cause the death of Jimmy Ojok.

L/cpl Odaga pleaded guilty to all the counts before the Army court sitting at Gulu District Headquarters on Friday.

The Chairman of the General Court Martial sentenced Odaga to 40 years in prison for murder of the three people with malice aforethought, 20 years for attempted robbery and 40 years for aggravated robbery.

“The sentences will run concurrently. This court also orders that all exhibits which were robbed from late Sunday Ouma be given to his relatives,” Gen Ogutti said.

Relatives of the deceased, however, were saddened by the sentence saying it is light in regard to the magnitude of the crime of ending three lives that L/cpl Odaga committed.

“40 years is very light, it saddens the families of those who were murdered. Odaga should have been sentenced to death,” Mr Odoki Sunday, a brother to deceased Ouma Sunday said.

This news website had earlier, on Thursday, contacted the UPDF spokesperson, Brig Richard Karemire over the deceased’s relatives wish for a fast trial.

“The General Court Martial is always very fast when a soldier commits murder of a mwananchi (citizen). This is deliberate to deter other soldiers,” Brig Karemire said.