By KT Reporter
A farmer has earned himself a 35-year jail term for killing a staff member of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation in Lira City. Innocent Otim, a resident of Obutuwelo B in Lira City West Division, was convicted for the murder of Natal Alaru, who worked with the Lira branch of the corporation and was also a resident of the same area.
The sentence was handed down by the Lira High Court Resident Judge Sarah Birungi Kalibala after Otim changed his plea from not guilty to guilty during the trial. While delivering the sentence, Justice Kalibala emphasized the gravity of the offence, noting the violent nature of the attack and the pain inflicted on the victim’s family. Court heard that Alaru had recently married and left behind a young widow and a one-and-a-half-year-old son.
The prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Jonathan Okello, presented testimony from ten witnesses before the accused admitted to the offence, bringing the trial to an abrupt close. According to court records, the murder happened in the early hours of April 2, 2025, at around 3:00 a.m. Alaru was reportedly walking through Obutowelo B Cell on his way to Lira Bus Park to travel back to Moyo District when he encountered Otim.
The court heard that Otim attacked Alaru with a panga, striking him several times on the head and leaving him critically injured. Residents rushed Alaru to Lira Regional Referral Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Investigations later led police to recover a blood-stained panga from Otim’s residence. Forensic analysis by the Government Analytical Laboratory confirmed that the weapon had been used in the killing.
Detectives also recovered two backpacks containing the deceased’s belongings, including clothes, a national identity card, a driving permit, and ATM cards, from an incomplete structure near the suspect’s home. Otim was charged alongside Chris Opio, who is still on the run.
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