Former NRM parliamentary aspirant for Tororo North County Constituency, Ojore Richard, and two others, have been handed a 30-year jail term for the murder of NRM Registrar for Mukuju Subcounty, Tororo District.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions indicted Ojore Richard, Emojong Moses and Imai Geoffrey with three counts of murder, aggravated robbery and attempted murder.
Ojore was an NRM aspirant on NRM ticket for Tororo North County Constituency.
Oketcho Sinambio (now deceased) was the NRM Registrar for Mukuju Sub-county.
It was the prosecution’s case against the trio that during the NRM Parliamentary Elections on the 4th September 2020 at 13:00hrs at Akoret B Polling Station, in Akoret Zone, in Tororo District, Oketcho Sinambio was checking on various polling agents deployed at the various polling stations.
On reaching Akorot B, Oketcho together with Emurukut Thomas Omusolo the motorcycle rider who was riding him, they were attacked by the three accused persons on suspicion that Oketcho was biased and was rigging NRM Primaries for another candidate.
Oketcho was hit with a Masai Club on the neck while Emurukut was severely beaten on various parts of his body and robbed of cash 45,000/-and a mobile phone Techno Y2 valued at 170,000/- using a deadly weapon (a Masai Rungo).
Oketcho died before reaching Tororo Hospital.
The matter was handled in a Criminal Session in the High Court of Uganda Holden at Tororo before Her Lordship Justice Esta Nambayo, prosecuted by Ojok Alex Michael, Assistant DPP and Regional Officer Mbale assisted by Aliwaali Kizito Chief State Attorney (CSA) Mbale.
In her judgment delivered on 19th April 2022, Her Lordship Justice Esta Nambayo convicted the trio (Ojore, Emojong and Imai) and sentenced them to 30 years imprisonment for the murder.
Additionally, Ojore and Imai were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on the count of attempted murder. The sentences on count 1 and 2 run concurrently.
Emojong was acquitted of the charge of attempted murder, and all three accused persons were acquitted of the aggravated robbery charges.