NATIONAL – The man accused of the brutal murder of Dr. Wilfred Olila, a lecturer at Soroti University and a renowned consultant otorhinolaryngologist, has formally pleaded guilty before the High Court.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The suspect, Paul Mugerwa, 32, is accused of killing Dr. Wilfred Olila, whose body was discovered along the Otuboi–Abalanga Road in Ogolai village, Kalaki District, shortly after he had completed surgeries at his New Moroto Clinic.
Appearing before the Lira Circuit of the High Court, presided over by Lady Justice Sarah Birungi Kalibbala, on Monday, February 24, 2026, the accused, Paul Mugerwa, admitted to committing the murder as read from the charges.
Mugerwa, who is the central figure in a case that initially saw 11 individuals taken into custody, was tracked down and arrested in Gomba District after fleeing the scene of the crime.
According to the prosecution, on the evening of January 16, 2025, Dr. Olila was lured from his Lira City clinic after a clinical operation and kidnapped near the Lira Hotel in the Senior Quarters area.
Dr. Wilfred Olila was fatally attacked by assailants who robbed him of his money and phone, with his strangled body discovered on January 17, 2025, in Kalaki District.
A subsequent post-mortem examination confirmed strangulation as the cause of death, sparking a police investigation and drawing strong condemnation from his colleagues, who demanded swift justice.
Following the guilty plea entered by the accused, Paul Mugerwa, on Monday this week, the presiding judge formally adjourned the matter to March 4, 2025, for sentencing.
The murder of the highly respected lecturer at Soroti University and practitioner at Lira Regional Referral Hospital sent shockwaves through the medical community and the public at large.
The initial 11 suspects were narrowed down after seven were released for lack of evidence and others were charged and remanded, leaving only Mugerwa and three others to face trial in the High Court.
However, with Mugerwa now pleading guilty to both murder and aggravated robbery, the focus has shifted squarely to his sentencing.
Dr. Olila is remembered as a dedicated otolaryngologist and pillar of the medical fraternity in the Lira and Soroti regions, and his untimely death has left a void in the healthcare system and a community in mourning.
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