crime 13 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
40-Year Sentence for Murderer of Lira ENT Specialist Dr. Wilfred Olila
The High Court in Lira has imprisoned Paul Mugerwa for 40 years over the brutal murder of renowned doctor Wilfred Olila, with an additional 20 years for aggravated robbery to run concurrently. Mugerwa confessed to the January 2025 crime that shocked the medical community. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/man-sentenced-to-40-years-for-killing-lira-doctor-wilfred-olila-5422216
A Lira High Court judge has sentenced 32-year-old Paul Mugerwa to 40 years in prison for murdering Dr. Wilfred Olila, a prominent ENT specialist and former Soroti University lecturer who ran New Moroto Clinic in Lira City.
Lady Justice Sarah Kyalibala Birungi also imposed a 20-year term for aggravated robbery, with both sentences running concurrently. Mugerwa had pleaded guilty to the charges in February 2026.
The court learned that Dr. Olila was tricked into leaving his clinic, abducted near Lira Hotel in Senior Quarters, robbed of cash and a phone, then strangled. His body was found on January 17, 2025, along Otuboi–Abalang Road in Ogolai Village, Kalaki District, with a post-mortem confirming strangulation as the cause of death.
Prosecutors revealed Mugerwa collaborated with others, including Joe George Okello, Steven Kalama, Joseph Okabo, and Jonathan Omara. Although 11 suspects were initially arrested, only a few faced trial due to evidence constraints.
After the killing, Mugerwa escaped to Gomba District but was eventually apprehended. Dr. Olila, who held an MBChB and Master’s in ENT from Makerere University, worked at Lira Regional Referral Hospital and mentored young doctors. His death drew widespread condemnation from the Uganda Medical Association.
Colleagues hailed him as an invaluable senior ENT surgeon in the region.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)