ENTEBBE, Uganda – The High Court in Entebbe has sentenced Rev. Fr. Dominic Alinga, a former Catholic priest attached to Iriiri Catholic Parish in Napak District under Moroto Diocese, to 21 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the murder of Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) employee John Bosco Ngorok and the attempted murder of boda boda rider Moses Abigaba.
Justice Flavia Nabakooza convicted Alinga on July 23, 2026, sentencing him to 21 years’ imprisonment for murder and a concurrent 10 years for attempted murder. The court also ordered compensation for Abigaba. Resident State Attorney Janet Kitimbo prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
The offences stemmed from an incident on the night of Aug. 2, 2024. According to the ODPP, Alinga, suspecting that Ngorok had exposed personal secrets that led to his suspension from priestly duties, lured the URA officer into a meeting. While travelling together toward Entebbe, Alinga attacked and stabbed Ngorok. When Ngorok sought help, Abigaba came to his rescue. Alinga then targeted both men by knocking them down with a vehicle before fleeing the scene. Ngorok later died from his injuries.
Alinga attempted to conceal evidence before fleeing to Tororo District, where he eventually confessed to a fellow priest and surrendered to police. He was charged in 2024 and remained in custody at Kigo Prison pending trial.
Court records and earlier prosecution summaries indicate that Alinga, then in his mid-30s and a resident of Alipada Village in Napak District, had been suspended by church authorities. Allegations against him included the theft of approximately Shs 6 million in offertory funds. Prosecutors also linked the killing to a personal dispute involving secrets related to a love affair that Ngorok was said to have revealed to church superiors. Evidence presented during earlier stages of the case included CCTV footage showing Alinga purchasing a knife at Port Bell Supermarket in Kireka earlier that evening, forensic reports, DNA analysis, telephone records, and Alinga’s extra judicial confession.
Ngorok, who was 30 at the time of his death, worked in the URA’s Domestic Taxes Department in Entebbe. He and Alinga had been close friends since their youth in the Karamoja region. Ngorok had previously studied at St. Mary’s Minor Seminary in Nadiket and briefly attended a major seminary before joining URA.
In a statement announcing the conviction, the ODPP said the outcome demonstrates that “no one is above the law, not even religious personalities.” The office expressed sympathy to Ngorok’s family and all those affected, saying the case reinforces public confidence in the criminal justice system and underscores that criminal responsibility applies regardless of social standing, profession or religious office.
Alinga’s guilty plea brought to a close nearly two years of legal proceedings that began with his appearance before the Entebbe Chief Magistrate’s Court in August 2024, where the capital charges were committed to the High Court.
