Kalaki man gets 40 years in jail for killing his father

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Joseph Akwar from Uganda's eastern district of Kalaki will spend the next 40 years of his life behind bars after being convicted of murdering his father.

Akwar, who is 23, was sentenced by Justice Boniface Wamala at the High Court in Soroti city on Friday (November 7).

He was found guilty of killing his father, Simon Akwaru, in a brutal machete (panga) attack in October 2021 in Obule village, Kalaki.

Court records indicate that Akwar fatally hacked his father after accusing him of forcing him to drop out of school and arranging for him to marry a school-going girl.

The prosecution team, led by Rachael Naamasi, had asked for a 60-year sentence, but Justice Wamala gave the convict 40 years, citing both the gravity of the offence and Akwar’s remorse during mitigation.

While delivering the sentence, the judge said the punishment should serve as a strong warning against the growing number of murder cases in Teso sub-region.

Akwar reportedly broke down in court, pleading for forgiveness. His lawyer, Joseph Odong, received the judgment without objection.