Gabriel GarangMay 22, 2026
The claim (archived) from Facebook posts making rounds that a Juba Court has sentenced five officers of the organised forces to twenty four (24) years in prison for the killing of Konty Okot P’Ogwaro, a Managing Director of Pipelines at South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum is false.
The post, first shared by Nile Vision 24/7, had over 19 reactions and 23 shares at the time of this article’s publication.
The same claim was posted by Shirkat Eye, Aweil Citizen Media, South Sudan Youth New Generation Africa, Aweil Media News, Tonj Times, Dr. Riek Machar 4 Presidency, Insight Ruweng, and Junub Celebrity Gossip majorly on Facebook.
Debunking the Claim:
A Google keyword search of the keywords ‘Juba court sentences five officers to 24 years over killing of government official’ (archived) as a way of looking for whether the same words were being used by reputable and reliable sources returned results that had a clarification from the police of South Sudan.
The report clearly states that the five officers were jailed for violently attacking Major General Dr. Stephen Warkozy, who was attacked in his home in Gudele in 2025, not for the murder of a senior government official as previously reported.
Sudans Post, a reliable source, reported on the 20th of April (archived) with the heading ‘Five officers jailed over armed attack on police general in Juba’
Other reliable sources that reported on the subject are Eye Radio, Radio Miraya and Malakal TV.
Major General Dr. Stephen Warkozy and Eng. Conty Okot
Stephen Warkozi, Director for Research at the South Sudan National Police Service, was attacked by unknown assailants in Gudele, Juba, on 15 July 2025. The incident has sent shockwaves across the capital, raising serious concerns about public safety; when even high-ranking officers are not spared. Five of the attackers were apprehended and have been sentenced to 24 years each for the offence.
Engineer Konty Okot P’ogwaro was a senior South Sudanese civil servant and the managing director of pipeline operations at the Ministry of Petroleum. He was shot and killed on January 19, 2026, by security personnel at a checkpoint in Juba, an incident that prompted widespread calls for justice and accountability. The South Sudan National Police Service said they are still investigating the killing of engineer Conty Okot, who was murdered along the Custom–Rock City Road in Juba.
Our Verdict:
The ClarityDesk finds the claim that a Juba court has sentenced five (5) officers to twenty four (24) years in prison for killing Eng. Konty Okot to be false; the officers were sentenced for violently attacking a police officer, Major General Dr Stephen Warkozy.
This article is published by The ClarityDesk through the Young Journalists Media Integrity Fellowship, with the support of the Election Civic Tech Fund of AfricTivistes, within the AHEAD Africa and Digitalise Youth projects, led by the Digital Democracy Initiative.
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About The ClarityDesk:
The ClarityDesk is a media integrity project based in South Sudan dedicated to promoting truth, transparency, and accountability. Working at the intersection of fact-checking, solutions and data journalism, we verify claims, debunk misinformation, and equip the public with tools to critically evaluate information. Our work is guided by accuracy, independence, and the public interest.
