KAMPALA, Uganda — The High Court in Kampala has sentenced Christopher Okello Onyum to death after convicting him of the murder of four toddlers at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre, in a case the trial judge described as among the “rarest of the rare”.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha concluded that the killings were premeditated, calculated, and executed with precision, rejecting the defence’s claim that the accused was mentally unfit at the time of the attack.
In a detailed judgment, the court dismantled Okello’s insanity defence, pointing to a consistent pattern of rational behaviour before, during and after the killings.
“The adduced evidence reveals that not only did he plan this attack, but the Accused also meticulously premeditated it,” Justice Khaukha ruled, adding that the evidence presented “negates any claim of insanity or any other disease of the mind.”
The prosecution, led by Jonathan Muwaganya and Anna Kiiza, had urged the court to impose the death penalty, citing the vulnerability of the victims and the deliberate nature of the crime.
The court relied heavily on CCTV footage and behavioural analysis to establish the accused’s state of mind.
Video evidence showed Okello calmly navigating different parts of Kampala on the eve of the attack, including stops in Ggaba, Bunga and along Jinja Road, where he interacted normally with service providers and managed a vehicle breakdown.
“Is this conduct of a person who is suffering from a disease of the mind…?” the judge asked. “I answer this question in the negative… the Accused person was in full control of his actions and with proper sense of judgment.”
Further evidence showed that Okello had posed as a parent seeking admission for a child at the daycare, engaging staff in detailed and coherent discussions over two days. He negotiated fees, asked about uniforms, and completed payment via mobile money.
“The Accused’s conversation… is so consistent… logical, very focused and in full control of his actions,” Justice Khaukha noted.
According to the court, the killings occurred shortly after the payment was completed.
Moments after leaving the office, Okello attacked children playing in the compound, inflicting fatal injuries in what the judge described as a rapid and deliberate sequence.
“How possible is it that somebody who had just been conducting business very normally and coherently… could lose his mind almost at the same time?” the judge asked. “I don’t find that this was possible.”
Medical evidence presented in court showed deep, precise wounds consistent with intentional killing.
“It is not possible, it is inconceivable… that the Accused person could have lost control… only to regain his control… the moment he sensed danger,” the ruling stated.
Investigators also presented digital forensic evidence, including online searches linked to violent content and reconnaissance of the attack location.
“I have no doubt… that the search for ‘ISIS beheadings’ prepared the Accused person to launch this fatal attack,” the court said.
The court further noted that Okello was actively managing financial affairs, including bank accounts and agricultural investments, which it said demonstrated mental clarity and planning ability.
Rejecting all mitigating factors, the judge concluded that the prosecution had proved all elements of murder beyond reasonable doubt.
“I conclusively find that the Accused person was very sane… when he gruesomely slaughtered four innocent souls.”
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Okello was convicted on four counts of murder relating to the deaths of Eteku Gideon, Keisha Agenorwoth Otim, Sseruyange Ignitius and Odeke Ryan, all aged between one and two years.
He was sentenced to death.
The ruling adds to a growing list of high-profile cases in which Ugandan courts have imposed the death penalty in exceptional circumstances, following the precedent set by the Susan Kigula case, which made capital punishment discretionary rather than mandatory.
While executions have not been carried out in Uganda for decades, legal experts say such sentences continue to reflect the judiciary’s stance on the most aggravated crimes.
The case has also intensified public debate over child protection, mental health defences, and the use of capital punishment, with many in the Ggaba community welcoming the verdict as a measure of justice in the wake of a national tragedy.
