In December 2023, Cherotich contacted Kipsang and Nemureng with plans to kill the deceased, and they agreed to do the job for sh2.5m.
Three people who conspired to murder former Masindi Acting District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Jino Abiriga have been sentenced to 35 years in jail by Masindi High Court Judge, Lady Justice Mary Babirye, after pleading guilty to the charge of murder.
The convicts, Betty Cherotich (31), wife to the deceased, Joshua Namureng (36), and Martin Kipsang (31), admitted having killed the deceased on January 7th 2023, at his home in Kijura North cell, Central Division, Masindi Municipality, in an act calculated at appeasing one of the accused persons Cherotich, who admitted having developed jealousy over her husband’s extra marital sexual engagements.
Sentencing the three, Justice Babirye said that they were convicted on their own plea of guilty after they separately confirmed the correctness of the facts as read to each of them, noting that the deceased was a respected doctor married to Cherotich, and had an extra marital affair with one Atuhura Susan which led Cherotich to become jealous over Atuhura, leading her into hiring Nemureng and Kipsang to murder the husband.
Cherotich had on several occasions threatened to kill the deceased and he in turn informed his girlfriend about his fears.
In December 2023, Cherotich contacted Kipsang and Nemureng with plans to kill the deceased, and they agreed to do the job for sh2.5m.
On 5th January 2024, Nemureng and Kipsang travelled from Bukwo district to Masindi to execute the mission and on the night of 6th January 2024, Cherotich led them to the bedroom where the deceased was resting and they killed him using hoe handles.
The judge said that Charotich mopped and cleaned the crime scene and poured the blood in the toilet in the bedroom. Kipsang and Nemureng dressed the deceased, put him on a ladder and threw his body outside the gate under the mango tree.
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The following day, neighbours discovered the body of the deceased under the tree and reported it to the police. Police visited the scene and discovered blood stains on the door frame and bed room walls, and on the wooden stand of the bed.
In Bukwo, the home of Kipsang in Roroko village was searched by police and they recovered a jacket, while a pair of shoes suspected to belong to the deceased was found in Nemureng’s home in Torokyo village.
In court, Ajok Harriet, the convicts’ lawyer prayed for leniency saying the accused persons submitted that the convicts are remorseful, did not waste court’s time as they pleaded to the charge and they have no other known criminal records.
One of the accused persons, Betty Cherotich apologized to the relatives of Dr. Abiriga, the deceased, public and the court for murdering her husband.
“I am sorry for what happened, I regret why I did it. I did it out of anger and I request for forgiveness, I am a widow, I left my children suffering, I request court to forgive me for what happened,” she pleaded.
Martin Kipsang regretted what happened apologizing that it was not out of his will. “I request you forgive me. I request the court to forgive me, I request the public to forgive me, I request the family of the deceased to forgive me,” he prayed.
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