Father Dominic Alinga of the Moroto Catholic Diocese has traded his priestly vestments for police handcuffs. On Sunday, August 4, 2024, the priest strolled into Tororo Central Police Station with the grace of a man who just realized his house was on fire but still had time for a cup of tea.
Fr. Alinga, now a household name for all the wrong reasons, has been accused of fatally stabbing John Bosco Ngorok, a 30 year old Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) employee. Ngorok, who was doing the commendable job of handling domestic tax affairs at Entebbe International Airport, met his unfortunate end on August 3, 2024, just as the clock struck 1:50 AM. This incident occurred along the Kitooro-Entebbe Road where he was discovered with a rather unfortunate collection of knife wounds.
According to Bukedi South regional police spokesperson Moses Mugwe, Fr. Alinga surrendered around midday after receiving numerous phone calls about his newfound celebrity status. According to Alinga, he had been receiving “friendly reminders” via phone calls informing him that the police were on his case, which sounds like the most inconvenient form of early morning wake-up call.
The details of the stabbing are as chilling as a chilly morning in Kabale. Ngorok was reportedly found with knife wounds to his neck and head, which, unsurprisingly, didn’t end well. Despite police efforts to rush him to a Grade B hospital, Ngorok was declared dead a mere 20 minutes later. It’s safe to say that the emergency response team didn’t have time to admire the view.
Fr. Alinga, the newly minted suspect, had been a man of the cloth in the Catholic parish church of Irir in Nakapiripirit. But his time as a priest was cut short by more than just a holy suspension. He had been accused of swiping a hefty sum of six million shillings in offertory—enough to make even the most forgiving parishioner’s eyebrows shoot up. It seems that the priest was already on a rather slippery slope before this latest development.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma shed light on the matter, stating that while investigations into the priest’s alleged connection to the murder are still ongoing, the wheels of justice are already in motion. Meanwhile, the police are considering passing Fr. Alinga over to the Entebbe Aviation Police, where the case initially landed.
Bishop Dammiano Guzzetti of the Moroto diocese, who had already suspended Fr. Alinga from his priestly duties as of July 17, 2024, expressed his dismay over the situation. “It’s with regret that I have to communicate this suspension,” the bishop wrote in a letter that might as well have been titled “The Last Straw.” His letter prohibited Fr. Alinga from celebrating Mass or any sacraments, and urged the faithful to pray for his “conversion and amendment of life”—a polite way of saying, “Fix yourself, please.”
The drama unfolded further as Fr. Alinga’s past caught up with him. Just three weeks after his suspension, he was implicated in the murder of Ngorok, who was described as a light of hope in the Karamoja community. Ms. Esther Anyakun, the Minister of State for Labour, described Ngorok as the only educated child in his family—a fact that hit the Karimojong community hard. Karamoja is a region where educated individuals are as rare as a rain shower in the dry season.
In Kampala, during the requiem service for Ngorok at Kyambogo University, the atmosphere was thick with sorrow. Reverend Dr. John Bosco Ssetumba, alongside Ngorok’s grieving wife, Susan Lemukol, and other mourners, expressed the deep void left by Ngorok’s untimely death.
Ngorok’s family, including his widow Susan Lemukol, who described him as a breadwinner and a pillar of support, are left in shock. Ngorok’s demise has left his family in a state of despair. Ms. Lemukol, visibly distraught, described Ngorok as not just her husband but a father figure to her and their young child. The loss has been likened to a big hole in a traditional basket—one that simply cannot be patched up.
URA Commissioner General John Musinguzi paid tribute to Ngorok’s dedication and hard work, lamenting the loss of a promising young tax officer. He promised to support Ngorok’s family during this challenging time, emphasizing that justice must be served.
According to URA, he was a promising figure, having moved from Katigondo Major Seminary to Kyambogo University on a State House scholarship, and later, joining the URA. His death has left a void that’s as glaring as a moonless night in the Karamojong plains.
