Tayari News
KAMPALA- Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha has found Christopher Okello Onyum guilty of the brutal murder of four toddlers at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre.
The verdict, delivered during a high-stakes mobile court session held near the scene of the crime, dismissed Okello’s defense of insanity and “spiritual possession,” marking a pivotal moment in one of the most harrowing criminal cases in Uganda’s recent history.
Justice Komuhangi ruled that there was no medical or credible evidence to support Okello’s claim that he was mentally incapacitated on April 2, 2026, the day he used a sharp object to end the lives of Ryan Odeke, Keisha Agenorwoth Otim, Gideon Eteku, and Ignatius Sseruyange.
The judge noted that the accused’s defense relied solely on an unsworn statement, which carries less evidentiary weight.
She emphasized that Okello failed to provide any expert psychiatric testimony to counter the prosecution’s evidence, which painted a picture of a man in full control of his faculties.
“The accused’s actions were calculated and deliberate. To claim insanity without a shred of medical proof, while evidence shows a man capable of complex financial planning, is a legal impossibility,” the judge noted.
A key pillar of the prosecution’s case was Okello’s sophisticated financial activity. Investigating officers presented evidence showing that at the time of the murders, Okello was actively managing three separate bank accounts.
The court heard that the accused transacted in both Ugandan Shillings and US Dollars. The accused was also involved in various “deals” and investment schemes, including the hiring of land in Nwoya for commercial farming.
Digital forensics also revealed he had performed online searches regarding beheadings and daycare facilities, suggesting a level of premeditation that contradicted his claims of a “mental blackout.”
The prosecution argued, and the judge agreed, that a person capable of navigating international currency markets and complex business transactions possesses the cognitive clarity to understand the nature and consequences of their actions.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya, presented 18 witnesses. Evidence included a flash disk found in Okello’s possession containing “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu and disturbing search histories.
Although Okello claimed he was “coerced” into his initial confession where he allegedly admitted the killings were for a “ritual sacrifice” to gain wealth, the court found the corroborating forensic evidence overwhelming.
Following the guilty verdict, the court took a brief recess. The session is expected to resume shortly for the sentencing phase, where the prosecution is expected to ask for the maximum penalty given the vulnerability of the victims and the “gruesome” nature of the crime.
Parents and residents of Ggaba have remained gathered outside the mobile court, many in tears, as they await the final sentence for the man who turned a place of learning into a scene of national tragedy.
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