Betty Cherotich, the wife of Masindi District Health Officer, Dr. Jino Abiriga, has confessed to masterminding the murder of her husband, according to a report by the Directorate of Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
In a report released on Monday, it was stated that three people have so far confessed to participating in the murder of Dr. Jino Abiriga.
The three suspects include the deceased’s wife, Betty Cherotich; Namureng Joshua, a 36-year-old builder from Tarobya Village in Bukwo district; and Kipsang Martin, alias Chesab, a 31-year-old carpenter from Roruk village, also in Bukwo district.
It is stated that the plot to murder Dr. Jino Abiriga began after his wife, Cherotich Betty, learned that her husband had taken a second wife identified as Atuhura Suzan in Masindi.
According to preliminary findings, Cherotich first hatched a plot to kill Atuhura by setting her house ablaze, but the attempt failed.
She then decided to hire Kipsang Martin and any person of his choice to carry out the job for Shs2.5 million.
On December 12, 2023, Kipsang Martin, together with Namureng Joshua, initiated their plans to kill Dr. Jino Abiriga, which they eventually executed on January 6, 2024, after receiving a deposit of Shs500,000 cash from Cherotich. The two suspected killers reportedly hacked the doctor before dumping his body near his home.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said they were alerted by vigilant residents to provide crucial information to the investigation team.
Such information led to the arrest of the wife and later the two other suspects.
Enanga said that after the arrest of the three suspects, they also managed to recover several exhibits from Valentine Guest House, where they dumped blood-stained clothes in the pit latrine.
Other exhibits recovered include two hoe handles, a pair of shoes for the deceased, a black sports bag, the clothes of the suspect, a bag retrieved from the latrine with a pillow cover, a mopping rug, work ID for the deceased, and other blood-stained clothes.
All samples were submitted to the forensic directorate for further analysis.