JUSTICE SERVED: NWSC Employee’s Murderer Sentenced to 35 Years

LIRA, UGANDA – The family of a National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) employee has finally seen justice after the man who brutally murdered him was handed a 35-year prison sentence.

Otim Innocent was convicted and sentenced by the Lira High Court Resident Judge, Hon. Justice Sarah Birungi Kalibala, after changing his plea to guilty during his trial.

The court heard that on April 2, 2025, at approximately 3:00 am, Mr. Alaru Natal was walking to Lira Bus Park to board a taxi back to Moyo District when he encountered Otim along the way in Obutowelo B Cell, Lira City West Division. Without mercy, Otim attacked Natal, striking him repeatedly on the head with a panga.

Neighbors rushed the severely injured Natal to Lira Regional Referral Hospital, but he succumbed to his wounds shortly after arrival.

Police investigations led to the recovery of a blood-stained panga from Otim’s house. A subsequent report from the Government Analytical Laboratory confirmed that the same panga was used to inflict the fatal injuries.

Authorities also discovered two backpacks containing the deceased’s clothing, national identity card, driving permit, and ATM cards in an incomplete house near Otim’s residence.

The prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Mr. Jonathan Okello from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, presented evidence from 10 witnesses before the court placed Otim on his defence. It was at that point that Otim changed his plea to guilty.

Mr. Alaru Natal had recently secured employment with NWSC in Lira at the time of his death. He leaves behind a young widow, whom he had just married, and a one-and-a-half-year-old son.

The violent murder deeply shocked Natal’s family, colleagues, and the Lira community where he lived.

While no sentence can undo the loss, Justice Kalibala’s ruling restores a measure of accountability—affirming that a life taken will neither be forgotten nor dismissed.