The Entebbe High Court has scheduled October 28 as the date to start hearing the case against Fr Dominic Alinga, who is accused of murder and attempted murder.
Fr Alinga is charged with killing Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) employee, John Bosco Ngorok, and attempting to kill Abigaba Mugisha, a boda boda rider, in Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District, on August 2, last year.
The Entebbe Resident Judge, Justice Flavia Nabakooza, set the trial date after Resident State Attorney Janet Kitimbo informed the court that two key witnesses are ready to testify. These include the widow of the deceased and the case investigating officer, both of whom have already sworn affidavits.
In March this year, Entebbe Chief Magistrate Stella Maris Amabilis committed the case to the High Court, which has the authority to handle both the murder and attempted murder charges.
‘You are further remanded to Kigo Prison pending due hearing at the next convenient High Court session,’ she said.
During the committal, State Attorney Janet Kitimbo told court that Fr Alinga, who had served as a Catholic priest at Iriir Parish in Napak District under Moroto Diocese for four years, was friends with Ngorok.
Ms Kitimbo said Fr Alinga recorded an extra-judicial statement admitting to the murder, saying he killed Ngorok for revealing his secrets to church superiors, which led to his suspension. She said prosecution will rely on 15 pieces of evidence ‘to contend that the Fr Alinga had no valid defence for his actions whatsoever and prays that the honourable court finds him guilty and convicts him as indicted.’
Ms Kitimbo said police investigations revealed that on the day of the murder, Fr Alinga was captured on CCTV at Port Bell Supermarket in Kireka, buying a knife.
‘At about 11pm, both the accused person and the deceased were captured moving together in motor vehicle UBM 644S, driven by the deceased and the accused was seated at the co-driver’s seat. The duo were along the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway heading to Entebbe,’ she said.
She added: ‘The accused informed the deceased that he was the one who had revealed his secrets to his superiors leading to his suspension from practice for six months from Moroto Diocese. It was for this reason he stabbed the deceased with the knife in his neck, leading to the deceased bleeding profusely.’
The State Attorney said at around 11:36pm, Mr Mugisha, who was riding his motorcycle toward Kitooro in Entebbe, saw the deceased running toward him, pleading for help.
‘The accused was pursuing the deceased, and informed Mugisha that the deceased was a thief. Later, the accused said the deceased was his brother and [asked Mugisha to help pursue him],’ she said. Ms Kitimbo said Fr Alinga then got onto the motorcycle with Mugisha and the two pursued Ngorok on the pretext of helping him.
‘When the accused got hold of the deceased, he jumped off Mugisha’s motorcycle and began assaulting the deceased. Mugisha instead left the duo and proceeded to Coco Beach to look for security to stop the accused.
He didn’t find them and returned to the crime scene,’ she said. She added that at the crime scene, Ngorok told bystanders that Fr Alinga wanted to kill him and asked them to take him to hospital.
‘The deceased was placed on the motorcycle by Mugisha and taken to hospital. Along the way, the deceased told the rider to move faster as the accused was driving his motor vehicle at a very high speed heading towards the rider and the deceased,’ she said.
Ms Kitimbo added that Fr Alinga then intentionally knocked down Mugisha and Ngorok and then fled the scene leaving the car stuck in the pavement. ‘The deceased and boda boda rider were taken for medical treatment at Entebbe Grade B Hospital.
The deceased was asked why the accused had attacked him and he revealed that he was sleeping with the accused’s ‘wife’,’ she said.
Ms Kitimbo said police found a car still parked at the crime scene with bloodstains on the front seats and a bloodied phone on the co-driver’s seat. Inside the vehicle, officers also recovered a laptop, another phone, Shs60,000, a URA identity card, and a driving permit in Ngorok’s name.
A black cap and a blood-stained knife were found beside the co-driver’s seat. Police documented the scene, drew a sketch plan, reconstructed events, and prepared a report. Ms Kitimbo told court that Fr Alinga turned himself in to the police in Tororo District.