The High Court sitting at Ggaba Community Church has found that Christopher Okello Onyum is guilty of murdering four toddlers at a daycare centre in Ggaba.
Okello was charged with four counts of murder arising from the April 2, 2026 attack at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre, a facility run by the church that also caters for vulnerable children.
Some of the victims, including Eteku Gideon and Sseruyange Ryan, had been enrolled under a support arrangement and did not pay fees.
Court heard that the accused carefully planned his actions.
He first visited the centre a day earlier posing as a parent seeking admission for a child. On the day of the incident, he returned, paid registration and uniform fees using mobile money under the name Zuriel Onyum, and later attacked the children shortly after leaving the office.
Eyewitnesses, including caretaker Phoebe Namutebi, testified that she saw Okello assault one of the children and attempted to stop him, but he proceeded to attack others.
He was later subdued by members of the public and rescued by police from an angry crowd.
Investigators also recovered knives, clothing, and other exhibits linking Okello to the crime, with DNA analysis placing him at the scene.
The prosecution further relied on CCTV footage tracing his movements before and after the attack, as well as his own admission that he killed the children.
In his defence, Okello claimed he was mentally distressed and did not act intentionally, alleging influence from unnamed individuals. However, the court ruled that there was no credible medical evidence to support claims of insanity.
The judge held that the prosecution had proved all elements of murder, including malice aforethought, noting that the nature of the attack and the targeting of vulnerable children pointed to a deliberate act.
Report by: Betty Zziwa
