COURT: The High Court has heard testimony from three more prosecution witnesses, all police officers, in the ongoing trial of Christopher Okello Onyum, bringing the total number of witnesses so far to 15.
Okello is accused of murdering four children on April 2, 2026, at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre.
Police officer Emmanuel Odong, a CCTV analysis attached to Naguru police headquarters told Court that he traced the accused’s movements on April 1 and 2 using footage from multiple cameras.
Odong testified that the surveillance system captured the vehicle used by Okello, timestamps, and locations along the route his used to and from Ggaba where the scene of crime was.
According to his testimony, the accused was tracked moving from Kyanja through areas including Nakawa, the Electoral Commission offices and Kibuli, before heading to Ggaba where the crime occurred.
The footage, which was played in court, also showed how the accused was dressed, the bags he carried, and a motorcycle he allegedly used on the second day.
Odong explained that on 1st April 2026, the footage showed the accused parking his vehicle at Renewal Sacco parking Yard, stepping out, and proceeding towards the scene where the killings occurred.
He said the entire sequence—from arrival to departure—lasted about 12 minutes.
Before exiting parking, the accused was seen checking a vehicle tyre parked nearby and later left using a smaller road.
On 2 April 2026, the accused was again captured on camera along Nanjala Road riding a motorcycle, wearing black goggles and carrying a backbag. The footage showed him heading towards the scene at around 10:16am and at approximately 11:20am, the victims were rushed to Wentz Medical Centre.
While as Scene of Crime Officer Mutaka Jim, attached to Kabalagala Police Station, testified that he responded to the scene at around 11:30am following instructions from his superiors. He found a tense situation, with angry residents attempting to attack the suspect.
Mutaka told court that he recovered a knife believed to have been used in the attack, which had been thrown outside the gate, as well as blood-stained sunglasses. He also recovered two additional knives from his body.
However, he said no fingerprints were lifted from the knives due to their rough surfaces.
He further testified that a bag recovered from the suspect by another officer, Derrick Brian Muyima, contained several items including pliers, a gold padlock with keys, a tablet, 15 surgical blades, a smartphone with an MTN line, orange gloves, and a receipt from Ggaba Community Church bearing the name “Zereal Anyum.”
Detective James Eserait, attached to the Criminal Investigations Directorate, told court that the accused was arrested by police and transported to Kabalagala Police Station.
He noted that the suspect had visible bruises on the arms, mouth and forehead, which he said the accused attributed to an assault by angry residents at the scene.
Eserait also told court that during interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted purchasing several knives in preparation for his mission.
Court further heard that a search conducted on April 3 at the accused’s residence in Kyanja led to the recovery of two United States passports bearing his name, electronic devices including laptops, phones and flash disks, as well as six knives. All items were presented and admitted as exhibits.
Additional documents recovered included a sanity report dated December 30, 2025, a certificate of good conduct issued in November 2025 by Interpol, a driving permit from Virginia, USA, and a voter notification notice.
Detective Eserait further information Court that the accused apologised and acknowledged the gravity of his actions, saying he was aware they could lead to either imprisonment or death
He also stated that the accused told him that he called the police emergency line 112 when he saw a crowd gathering at the scene.
