Ezra Kashumbusha.
KAMPALA, January 15, 2024 | In a chilling revelation, the police have unveiled the intricate details surrounding the tragic death of Dr. Jino Abiriga, the District Health Officer of Masindi. According to Fred Enanga, the Police Spokesperson, the murder was not a random act, but a premeditated, sinister plot orchestrated by the widow, Betty Cherotic.
Enanga explained that a comprehensive investigation, conducted in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation Directorate, uncovered a motive rooted in marital discord, jealousy, and suspicions of infidelity. The unraveling of this shocking narrative reveals a web of events leading to the fateful demise of Dr. Abiriga.
The police spokesperson disclosed that Cherotic discovered her husband’s involvement with a lady named Atuhura Susan in Masindi, igniting feelings of betrayal and resentment. This revelation prompted Cherotic’s initial attempt to eliminate Atuhura through arson, but vigilant neighbors thwarted the sinister plan.
Undeterred, on December 11, 2023, Cherotic hired a contract killer, Kipisang Martin, paying him 2.5 million Uganda shillings to eliminate Atuhura Susan. Despite a subsequent payment of 500,000, this plot failed as the intended victim did not appear at the expected location on December 18.
Cherotic, driven by desperation, then shifted her focus to her husband, accusing him of their firstborn’s death, the miscarriage of their twins, and alleged insults about her sexual performance. Allegedly tasking Martin to find another accomplice, the plan to murder Dr. Abiriga unfolded on December 26.
The first attempt by Martin and the newly recruited Joshua Namureng was thwarted when the doctor woke up and closed the door they had opened for entry. Undeterred, Cherotic, Martin, and Namureng booked a room at Valentine’s Guest House on January 6, and during the night, they seized an opportunity when the doctor was in a deep sleep.
“They found the gate open and she led them into the bedroom. They had two golf stickers. So they found when the victim was asleep and they hit him on the head with the hand hoe stick, dragged the body to the floor, and then slit the throat of the late doctor,” explained Enanga.
After this gruesome act, the perpetrators cleaned the crime scene, dressed the deceased in new clothing, and callously dumped the body 50 meters away outside the gate. The male suspects disposed of their bloodstained clothes in a pit latrine at Valentine’s Guest House and left Masindi Municipality at 5:30 am for Bukwo.
