The High Court has sentenced Christopher Okello Onyum to death for the murder of four toddlers at a daycare centre in Ggaba, bringing an end to a case that shocked the country.
Delivering the sentence at Ggaba Community Church, presiding judge Alice Komuhangi Khaukha described the crime as brutal, premeditated and among the “rarest of the rare” cases deserving the maximum punishment.
Court heard that Okello carried out the killings on April 2, 2026 at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre, where the victims had been left under care.
The judge noted that the children were attacked in what should have been a safe environment, turning a place of learning into a scene of terror.
Prosecution, led by Jonathan Muwaganya, had asked court to impose the death penalty, arguing that the nature of the crime, the level of planning involved and the vulnerability of the victims justified the highest sentence under the law.
Muwaganya told court that although the death penalty is no longer mandatory in Uganda, it remains lawful in exceptional cases.
He said the attack was carefully planned and executed, targeting defenceless minors, and had left lasting trauma on survivors and the wider community.
Muwaganya further argued that Okello posed a continuing danger to society and that a strong sentence was necessary to deter similar crimes, citing rising murder cases in the country.
Before sentencing, Okello was given an opportunity to speak but declined, even after being urged by the judge to apologise to the victims’ families.
His state-appointed lawyers led by RichardKumbuga, however, asked court for leniency, saying he was a first-time offender, suffered from sickle cell disease and came from a troubled family background. They argued that his life should be spared.
In her ruling, Justice Komuhangi said the court had considered both aggravating and mitigating factors but found the gravity of the offence overwhelming.
Justice Komuhangi noted that the killings were deliberate, involved extreme violence and targeted children who depended on adults for protection.
The judge also observed that Okello showed no remorse and failed to provide a convincing explanation for his actions, adding that the circumstances suggested possible motives linked to human sacrifice.
She concluded that the case met the threshold for the harshest penalty under the law.
