Accused admits killing senior surgeon, Soroti University lecturer Olila

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One of the men charged with the brutal murder of renowned senior otolaryngologist and Soroti University lecturer Dr Wilfred Olila has pleaded guilty before the High Court.

An Otolaryngologist, aka ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist, is a healthcare specialist who treats conditions affecting the ears, nose and throat. They can also perform head and neck surgeries, including surgeries on the ears, mouth, throat, nose, neck and face.

The confession brings a dramatic turn in a case that has gripped the Lango sub-region for over a year.

Paul Mugerwa, 32, on February 24, 2026, admitted to all the charges against him before Lady Justice Sarah Birungi Kalibbala. The court adjourned the matter to 4 March 2026 for sentencing.

Mugerwa, a resident of Mbale and described by investigators as a suspected habitual offender, allegedly fled to Kisozi in Gomba district after the killing before he was tracked down and arrested.

Lured, robbed and killed

Olila was reportedly lured from his clinic under false pretences and kidnapped near Lira Hotel in the Senior Quarters area.

According to prosecution accounts, he was robbed of his money and mobile phone before being killed and his body dumped in Kalaki district.

His lifeless body was discovered on January 17, 2025, along the Otuboi–Abalanga Road in Ogolai Village, Kalaki district. He was dressed in a blue Uganda Medical Association (UMA) T-shirt.

A post-mortem examination later confirmed that Olila died from strangulation.

Arrests and court proceedings

Police initially arrested 11 suspects in connection with the murder but released seven after failing to link them to the crime.

Four individuals: Joe George Okello (37), Steven Kalama (20), Joseph Okabo (29), a businessman in Lira, and Jonathan Omara (34) were subsequently charged with murder and remanded to Lira Main Prison on February 13, 2025. Another suspect, Andrew Okello (33), was later produced in court.

The case is registered under CRB 45/2025 at Lira City Central Police Station and A74/2025 before the Lira Magistrates’ Court.

On March 13, 2025, Police also arrested Alex Itonge (26), a staff member of Jubilee Insurance, Mbale Branch, and a student at Uganda Christian University, Mbale Branch, in connection with the case.

Upon committal to the High Court, several suspects were released, leaving Joel George Okello, Paul Mugerwa, Athanasius Kawuki and Alex Itonge to face trial on charges of murder, aggravated robbery and being an accessory after the fact to murder.

The prosecution’s case

According to sources familiar with the investigations, Mugerwa and his associates had initially plotted to rob a Chinese national in Mbale but abandoned the plan. They later turned their attention to Olila, whom they believed to be financially well-off.

The group allegedly monitored his movements before travelling to Lira and devising a plan to lure him by pretending to seek insurance services for his medical facility. On the day of the abduction, Olila reportedly received a call informing him that the General Manager of Jubilee Insurance wished to meet him.

Having lent out his vehicle, he arrived at Lira Hotel on a bodaboda. It was there that the suspects allegedly seized him and forced him into a waiting vehicle.

Investigators say the plan was to compel him to transfer money electronically. However, he died during the ordeal. Realising this, the suspects abandoned their plan and later disposed of the body in Kalaki.

Plea bargain rejected

Last year, Mugerwa, who at the time of his arrest was a bouncer at a restaurant and a resident of Mission Cell in Mbale city, applied for a plea bargain, proposing a 20-year sentence. The prosecution rejected the proposal, instead suggesting a sentence of 35 years or life imprisonment.

With Mugerwa’s guilty plea now formally entered, attention turns to the upcoming sentencing and the fate of the remaining accused persons in a case that continues to stir public concern over violent crime in the region.

Who was Olila?

Olila graduated from Makerere University in 1984 with a bachelor's degree of medicine and surgery. He earned a master's of Medicine in Otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery from the same institution in 2008.

He worked at Lira, Soroti, and Kabale regional referral hospitals until his retirement in 2015 at the age of 60. A visionary, he was involved in various private initiatives and served as a dedicated lecturer at Soroti University.

Olila was a family man, survived by a widow and six children. His death left a void in the medical community, which mourns the loss of a mentor, teacher, and healer, according to the Uganda Medical Association.