Former MP aspirant jailed 50 years for killing NRM registrar

The High Court in Tororo has sentenced a former MP aspirant for Tororo North County  to 50 years imprisonment after being convicted of killing of a ruling NRM party registrar during the party primaries in 2020.

During the widespread violence during the NRM primaries in 2020, Oketcho Sinambio, the party registrar for Mukuju subcounty was killed.

Consequently, police arrested Richard Ojore, a then aspirant for Tororo North County constituency in the NRM primaries, Moses Emojong and Geoffrey Imai and charged with murder, aggravated robbery and attempted murder.

According to evidence provided before court by the DPP, on September, 4, 2020 at 1pm during the NRM primaries, the deceased arrived at Akoret B polling station in Akoret zone in Tororo district as his routine of checking on various polling agents deployed at polling stations.

However, here, the registrar who was together with Thomas Emukurut, a boda boda rider was attacked by  the three accused persons on suspicion of being biased and that he  was rigging the NRM  primaries for another candidate.

Sinambio was hit with a Masai club on the neck while the boda boda rider was severely beaten on various parts of his body and robbed of cash shs45,000 and a mobile phone .

The NRM registrar later died as he was being rushed to hospital.

On Tuesday, High Court judge, Esta Nambayo convicted the three people of murder, aggravated robbery and attempted murder.

Consequently, each of the three people was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for the murder whereas the former MP aspirant and Geoffrey  Imai were also sentenced to an additional 20 years imprisonment after being convicted of attempted murder.

The trio was however acquitted of the charge of aggravated robbery after evidence by the state failed to pin them over the same.

However, Justice Nambayo  said the two sentences will run concurrently.