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Justice Flavia Nabakooza of the High Court in Entebbe handed down the sentence on Thursday, July 23, after Fr. Dominic Alinga admitted to the murder of URA officer John Bosco Ngorok and the attempted murder of boda boda rider Moses Abigaba.
The court sentenced Fr. Alinga to 21 years' imprisonment for murder and 10 years' imprisonment for attempted murder. The sentences are to run concurrently. The court also ordered that compensation be paid to Abigaba, who survived the attack.
According to Uganda's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Fr. Alinga admitted responsibility for both offences during court proceedings.
“The conviction demonstrates that criminal responsibility applies equally to all persons regardless of their social or religious status,” the ODPP said following the judgment.
Fr. Alinga is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Moroto in Uganda's Karamoja region. He was ordained to the priesthood on 28 July 2020, and served at Iriiri Catholic Parish in Napak District before his suspension from Priestly ministry.
The Priest had been suspended effective 17 July 2024 by the Local Ordinary of Moroto, Bishop Damiano Guzzetti, who prohibited him from celebrating Holy Mass, administering the Sacraments, and exercising priestly ministry anywhere in the Diocese of Moroto or elsewhere in the Catholic Church.
While confirming the authenticity of the suspension decree, Bishop Guzzetti reportedly declined to disclose the reasons for the disciplinary measure, saying the matter was not public.
Instead, the Italian-born member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) urged the faithful to pray for the Priest “so that he may deeply receive the grace of conversion and amendment of life.”
The suspension reportedly came about two weeks before the killing of Ngorok.
According to prosecutors, Fr. Alinga believed the URA officer had shared information that contributed to his suspension from priestly ministry.
Court records indicate that on 2 August 2024, Fr. Alinga arranged to meet Ngorok in Entebbe. While travelling together, he allegedly attacked the tax official with a knife, inflicting multiple stab wounds.
As Ngorok attempted to escape and seek help, boda boda rider Moses Abigaba came to his assistance. Prosecutors said Fr. Alinga then drove his vehicle into both men before fleeing the scene.
Ngorok later succumbed to his injuries, while Abigaba survived.
Investigators said Fr. Alinga fled to eastern Uganda following the incident, where he reportedly sought out another Catholic Priest and confessed to the killing before surrendering himself to police.
He was subsequently arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. He remained on remand as investigations and court proceedings continued until he entered guilty pleas before the High Court in Entebbe.
Under the Church's Code of Canon Law, the suspension imposed on Fr. Alinga prohibited him from exercising priestly ministry but did not remove him from the clerical state.
As of the time of his sentencing, there has been no public announcement that Fr. Alinga has been dismissed from the clerical state, a canonical penalty commonly referred to as laicization. Such a penalty requires a separate canonical process and, in many cases, the approval of the Holy See.
The Diocese of Moroto has not publicly commented on the High Court's judgment.