Ex-MP aspirant Ojera ordered to refund sh17m after securing temporary freedom

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A Grade One Magistrate in Gulu has granted non-cash bail of shillings 10 million to former Kilak North parliamentary aspirant Christopher Ojera, who is accused of defrauding a businesswoman of shillings 17.1 million.

Miriam Amoro, presiding at the Gulu Chief Magistrate’s Court on May 5, 2026, ordered Ojera’s release after a mediation session held in her chambers, where the accused admitted responsibility and pledged to refund the money.

Ojera, who has been on remand at Gulu Main Prison since March 2026, is facing charges of obtaining money by false pretences. The court directed him to repay the full amount to the complainant, Monica Giriza, by July 30, 2026, as a condition for maintaining his temporary freedom.

Family steps in to settle debt

The bail ruling followed appeals from Ojera’s family and friends, who pushed for an out-of-court settlement and expressed readiness to mobilise funds to compensate the complainant.

In a dramatic turn during the mediation, Amuru District Speaker Jane Naku, a NRM member aligning with Ojera, pledged to raise shillings 13.5 million toward the settlement.

“I would have brought the money to court had I known mediation would be considered,” she told the magistrate.

Ojera is committed to clearing the remaining shillings 3.6 million balance.

From denial to admission

Although he had earlier denied the allegations, Ojera changed his position during the closed-door session, admitting to the offence and expressing remorse.

Magistrate Amoro cautioned him against absconding, warning that failure to comply with court directives would lead to re-arrest and the imposition of the maximum penalty under the law.

Victim relents on extra claims

Giriza, a businesswoman from Oyam District, told the court she had handed over the money to Ojera in cash. While she had initially sought additional compensation for damages and legal costs, she later withdrew the demand following appeals from her husband and family friend, Thomas Lapyem.



Speaking after the session, Giriza said she was satisfied with the mediation outcome but highlighted the toll the incident had taken on her business.

“Since he took my money, my business has been struggling and is now on the verge of collapsing,” she said.

“I hope that once he pays in July, I will be able to recover.”

The background

Ojera was apprehended on March 1, 2026, in Kamdini town council in Oyam district after months of being on the run and was later transferred to Gulu Central Police Station (CPS), where a formal case was registered against him.

The alleged scam

Complainant Monica Giriza, the proprietor of Karibu Eldoret Restaurant in Kamdini town council, Oyam, accuses Ojera of using the names of powerful military figures: Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) chief co-ordinator Salim Saleh and his principal advisor on OWC Philip Idro, to secure money under the guise of awarding her a lucrative government catering contract.

According to Giriza, Ojera approached her in April 2025, praising her restaurant and inquiring whether she could cater for 650 participants at a high-profile meeting allegedly organised by Gen. Saleh.

The meeting, she was told, would bring together elders from Acholi, Teso, Lango, Karamoja, and West Nile and would be held on June 4, 2025, at the Presidential Skillilling Hub in Gulu district.

Ojera reportedly presented her with a letter promising payment of shillings 134 million for providing meals, including breakfast, tea breaks, lunch, dinner, bull roasting and refreshments — over four days.

Advance payment demands

Giriza says events took a suspicious turn on May 31, 2025, when Ojera requested an advance of shillings 18 million, claiming the organising committee required the funds to guarantee her contract.

Struggling to raise the amount, she first delivered 7.6 million shillings at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in Gulu.

Although Ojera was absent, he allegedly instructed her via phone to leave the money with a woman identified as Florence.

Days later, she was introduced to Idro during what appeared to be a chance roadside encounter, reinforcing her confidence in the deal.

Soon after, Ojera demanded the balance. Giriza withdrew five million shillings from her bank account, borrowed two million from her savings group, and added two million from home savings, totalling 9.5 million, which she allegedly handed over to Ojera.

He reportedly insisted on depositing the money himself into a consolidated account.

Instead, investigations later revealed he transferred at least five million to his personal mobile money account.

Preparations for a meeting that never was

On June 3, a day before the scheduled meeting, Giriza sought clarification on the breakfast menu.

Ojera advised her to prepare ripe bananas and eggs. She went ahead and purchased food supplies worth 3.7 million shillings, including bananas, matoke and beans. However, on June 4, the supposed event day, Ojera became unreachable.

Realising she had been deceived, Giriza reported the matter to Gulu CPS.

Police interrogation and broken promises

When summoned by the police, Ojera initially denied receiving any money but later admitted borrowing two million shillings for school fees.

However, investigators confronted him with mobile money statements, photographs, and recorded communications linking him to the transaction.

At that point, sources say, Ojera broke down and pleaded for the matter not to be escalated, fearing damage to his political ambitions as he was then seeking the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party flag for Kilak North.

He reportedly promised to refund the money in instalments — shillings five million on July 2, another five million on July 10, and the balance by July 15, 2025. He was released on Police bond.

But he allegedly went into hiding and failed to refund a single shilling.

Months on the run

From July 2025 to March 2026, Giriza and local authorities searched for him. All phone calls remained unanswered.

Local vendors in Kamdini, Kigumba, and Bweyale were reportedly alerted to watch out for him.

On March 1, 2026, a water vendor in Karuma spotted Ojera alighting from a commuter taxi travelling from Kampala to Gulu and quickly alerted Giriza and the Police.

Officers at the Kamdini checkpoint intercepted the vehicle. Ojera reportedly stepped out without resistance and was immediately taken into custody before being transferred to Gulu CPS.

Political background

Ojera is widely known in Amuru district politics. He contested for the Kilak North parliamentary seat in 2021 but was defeated by Anthony Akol, who at the time ran on the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) ticket.

In the 2025 NRM primaries, Ojera again sought the party flag but lost to the incumbent MP, who had since crossed from FDC to NRM.

The matter remains under court supervision pending full compensation to the complainant.