By Weswa Ronnie
NATIONAL
Christopher Okello Onyum, who was convicted in April and sentenced to death for murdering four toddlers at a Ggaba daycare centre, is appealing his conviction and sentence, with three Court of Appeal justices assigned to hear the case.
Three Court of Appeal justices have been assigned to examine Christopher Okello Onyum’s challenge to his conviction and death sentence over the murder of four toddlers at a Ggaba daycare centre.
The conviction that followed one of Uganda’s most closely watched murder trials is now headed for appellate scrutiny, with three Court of Appeal justices assigned.
The three are Justices Christopher Gashirabake, Eva K. Luswata and John Mike Musisi according to a judicial officer allocation notification issued through the Judiciary’s Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) on November 10.
The appeal, registered as Criminal Appeal No. COA-00-CR-CN-0288-2026, raises questions about the evaluation of evidence, the treatment of medical evidence concerning Okello’s mental condition and the appropriateness of the death penalty.
At the centre of the challenge is whether the High Court properly evaluated the circumstances surrounding the April 2 killings and whether the evidence justified its conclusion that Okello was criminally responsible for the deaths.
In his memorandum of appeal filed on June 12, Okello raises three grounds.
First, he argues that the trial judge, Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha, erred in law and fact by failing to properly evaluate the evidence, consequently arriving at a wrong decision and occasioning a miscarriage of justice.
Secondly, he challenges the court’s assessment of medical evidence concerning his mental condition, arguing that the trial judge failed to properly evaluate evidence relating to his mental status before reaching her decision.
Thirdly, Okello argues that the death sentence imposed on him was harsh and excessive. He wants the appellate court to set aside or vary the sentence.
He is asking the Court of Appeal to quash his convictions, reverse the sentences and set him at liberty. The appeal arises from the April 2, 2026 killings at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre in Makindye Division, Kampala, where four children were fatally attacked.
The victims were Gideon Eteku, Keisha Agenorwoth Otim, Ignatius Sseruyange and Ryan Odeke, all aged below three years. Prosecution evidence established that Okello had visited the daycare centre under the pretext of seeking admission for a child before attacking the children.
The case was heard by the High Court through a mobile court sitting at Ggaba Community Church grounds, close to the scene of the killings. The proceedings attracted considerable public attention, with the court hearing evidence from witnesses before delivering its judgment on April 30.
Justice Komuhangi Khaukha convicted Okello on all four counts of murder contrary to Sections 171 and 172 of the Penal Code Act.
The judge rejected his defence of insanity, finding that the evidence did not establish that he suffered from a disease of the mind that deprived him of the ability to understand the nature and consequences of his actions at the time of the killings.
The court relied on psychiatric assessments, witness testimony, CCTV footage, call records and evidence of his conduct before and during the incident. The prosecution also presented forensic evidence, including DNA evidence, linking him to the crime.
On April 30, Justice Komuhangi sentenced him to death on all four counts, describing the killings as among the rarest of rare cases warranting the maximum punishment.
Following the conviction, Okello filed a notice of appeal on May 6, 2026, from Luzira Prison, expressing his intention to challenge both the convictions and sentences.
He subsequently lodged the memorandum of appeal on June 12 through the Uganda Law Society’s Legal Aid Project, setting out the three grounds upon which he wants the appellate court to intervene.
The appeal now places the High Court’s findings under scrutiny, particularly its treatment of the insanity defence and the evidence used to establish criminal responsibility.
The Court of Appeal will determine whether the trial court’s evaluation of the evidence was legally sound and whether there are sufficient grounds to interfere with the convictions or sentences.
