By Swift ReporterÂ
The High Court in Kampala has convicted Christopher Okello Onyum of the murder of four toddlers at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre, concluding a deeply emotional trial that has gripped the country since April 2026.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha dismissed the accused’s insanity defence, ruling that the evidence showed he was fully aware of his actions at the time of the killings.
“The accused was very sane on April 2, 2026 when he committed the offences. Therefore, his defence of insanity will not help him. I hereby convict Christopher Okello Onyum for the murder of Eteku Gideon, Keisha Agenorwoth, Ignatius Sseruyange and Ryan Odeke,” she ruled.
The courtroom erupted in applause as the conviction was read, marking the end of a case that has drawn national outrage and sorrow.
Justice Komuhangi said evidence presented before court showed that Okello had exhibited normal behaviour before the incident, contradicting claims of mental illness. She further cited his online activity, including searches related to violent content linked to ISIS, as part of indicators of prior planning.
According to the court, the killings were carried out in a short, calculated sequence lasting about seven minutes, with the judge describing the attack as methodical and deliberate.
During sentencing, Justice Komuhangi said the circumstances placed the case among the most extreme under the law.
She noted that the victims were attacked in a completely defenseless state, within a place meant to be safe for children, adding that the brutality stripped them of dignity and humanity.
“I have also considered that he targeted them in their defenseless state and went ahead to slaughter them,” she said.
The judge further observed that the attack took place in broad daylight, without fear or hesitation, and in full view of caretakers and staff who had previously shown the accused kindness.
“I find no justification whatsoever for someone to leave their home in the early morning and go to a place meant to be safe, a school, only to attack and kill children within it,” she said.
She added that had the accused not been stopped, there was a strong possibility that more lives would have been lost.
Justice Komuhangi ruled that the case met the threshold of the “rarest of the rare” category, justifying the maximum penalty under the law.
“I have found no reason to depart from the maximum sentence prescribed by law, and I see no basis to extend leniency to Mr. Okello,” she stated.
She then sentenced him to death in accordance with the law for the murder of four children, bringing closure to one of Uganda’s most disturbing criminal cases in recent memory.
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