Christopher Okelo Onyum has been found guilty of four counts of murder and is now awaiting sentencing later today after a chilling judgment by the High Court in Kampala over the brutal killing of toddlers at a Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre. Presiding judge Alice Komuhangi Kyomuhangi ruled that Onyum acted with malice aforethought and […]
Christopher Okelo Onyum has been found guilty of four counts of murder and is now awaiting sentencing later today after a chilling judgment by the High Court in Kampala over the brutal killing of toddlers at a Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre.
Presiding judge Alice Komuhangi Kyomuhangi ruled that Onyum acted with malice aforethought and was fully in control of his actions, dismissing his claims of insanity and declaring that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt every ingredient of the offence, including the death of the toddlers, that the deaths were caused by unlawful acts, that the accused was present at the scene, directly participated in the killings, and intended to cause death.
The judge said the entire attack lasted less than ten minutes and bore the marks of precision and coordination that pointed to a deliberate mind, adding that such execution would require a level of specialised control and that the accused was “very sane” when he slaughtered the innocent children.
The victims were identified as Eteku Gideon aged two years and six months, Keisha Agenoroth Otim aged one year and eleven months, Ignatia Sserange aged two years and four months, and Odeke Ryan aged one year and three months, all under the care of the centre operated by Ggaba Community Church, a facility serving both fee-paying children and vulnerable and malnourished children from the community.
Court heard that Onyum, an American citizen by nationality and Ugandan by birth, had carefully plotted his entry into the centre, first visiting on April 1, 2026, where he posed as a parent seeking admission for a three-year-old child, obtained requirements from caretaker Phoebe Namutebi, and promised to return the next day, before coming back on April 2 at about 11am and gaining access on the same pretext.
The court described how the accused returned to the centre on the day of the incident pretending he had come to complete payment for admission of a child, and engaged caretakers in what the judge termed a normal and coherent interaction, even calmly discussing fees and mentally calculating payments for the uniform and fees , conduct which the court said clearly showed a composed and functioning mind. He calculated 120,000 for fees, 60,000 for registration.
Moments after leaving the office of the coordinator Annet Odong, the accused turned on the children who were playing in the compound and launched a sudden knife attack, with Phoebe Namutebi telling court that she initially thought he was disciplining a child only to discover that he had slit the child’s throat, at which point she attempted to intervene by throwing a bicycle at him and raising alarm, but he chased her and returned to continue cutting the children one after another.
The court heard that as caretakers screamed for help, the accused moved swiftly between the children, and despite desperate attempts to stop him, he completed the attack within minutes, leaving the children in pools of blood, after which members of the public including Cyrus Bukenya, together with a security guard and others, subdued him, while he was found with additional knives hidden in his socks and had thrown the weapon used over the fence.
Three of the children were rushed to a nearby clinic but were pronounced dead on arrival, while another was already lifeless at the scene, and police from Kabalagala Division later recovered the knives, blood samples, and other exhibits, which were subjected to forensic and DNA analysis, alongside electronic devices seized from his residence including laptops, phones and storage devices that revealed disturbing searches and material linked to violent conduct.
The court also heard that Onyum had hired a vehicle days before the attack and was found in possession of multiple new knives at his residence, along with two American passports and other documents, while a medical examination confirmed that he was mentally normal, a finding that the judge relied on in dismissing his defence.
In his defence, Onyum admitted killing the children but claimed he did not act intentionally and suggested he was under mental distress and external influence, alleging he was being surveilled and controlled by unknown individuals who demanded money and threatened him, and that he had even considered fleeing the country, robbing a bank, or harming family members, claims the court found unsupported and inconsistent with his calculated actions.
Justice Komuhangi also rejected arguments that the centre’s management was negligent, describing them as insensitive, noting that the children were in a safe and familiar environment and that no one could have anticipated such an attack from a man who had disguised himself as a parent seeking admission.
During his arrest, he was found with additional two concealed knives and later led police to his residence, where further weapons six knives, a sanity report , flash disks, two laptops and electronic devices were recovered.
She further pointed to his conduct before, during, and after the attack, including his ability to plan, execute, evade intervention, and even call for police protection from an angry mob, as clear indicators of a conscious and deliberate mind, reinforcing the finding that he acted with malice aforethought.
Justice Alice Komuhangi Kyomuhangi has flatly rejected Christopher Okello Onyum’s defence that he was mentally distressed at the time he killed four toddlers at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre, describing his conduct and supporting records as calculated, coherent and consistent with a person in full control of his actions.
The judge told court that medical evidence did not support any claim of mental illness, pointing first to a December 30, 2025 psychiatric-related examination done for immigration purposes at IHK C-Care clinic by Dr Rogers Agenda, which concluded that the accused was of sound mind, with no chronic illness and no mental disorder detected. She noted that during that assessment, Onyum reportedly said it was his first medical examination and did not mention any previous admission to Butabika Hospital, which the court said raised questions about the credibility of his later claims.
A second medical opinion by police surgeon Dr Emmanuel Nuwamanya, who examined him on April 7, also found him normal, calm and coherent in speech. The doctor further testified that the accused allegedly spoke about killing minors for human sacrifice, good fortune and enrichment, a statement the judge said reinforced the prosecution’s case on intent and mental awareness.
On the contested issue of Butabika Hospital, the court noted that the accused himself never raised it during testimony, and only a brother mentioned a past admission in 2020 under cross-examination. The judge said even that evidence remained uncorroborated and was treated cautiously by the court.
It was alleged by the prosecution that the accused’s reference, and attempts to rely on mental health history, including a reported admission to Butabika Hospital in 2020, was not a straightforward medical explanation but part of a wider concealment narrative. According to the prosecution, that earlier admission was being presented in court as a cover-up linked to the alleged killing of his younger brother, identified as Freeman, aged about three years, an incident they suggested had occurred before he was later taken to the United States and remained abroad until his return in 2025.
Justice Komuhangi said the attempt by Onyum to rely on alleged distress between January and March 2026 appeared “smart and calculated,” not a genuine reflection of mental instability. She also faulted the defence for failing to call his parents as witnesses despite confirmation that both were alive and living in Uganda, saying this left gaps in his story.
She further examined his lifestyle before the killings and said it painted a picture of a fully functional man. His former landlord in Bunga, Paul Mukasa, told court that between November 2025 and March 2026, Onyum was “mentally upright, calm and a good tenant.” Another landlord, Joel Makayi of Kyanja, testified that he paid rent through bank transactions, understood tenancy agreements, submitted documents and dealt normally with local authorities.
The judge also pointed to his independence in hiring a self-drive vehicle, his WhatsApp communications, and his routine banking activity across two dollar accounts and a Uganda shillings account as further proof of normal functioning. CCTV footage, she said, showed him driving calmly, parking properly, checking the vehicle and acting in a controlled and organised manner.
Justice Komuhangi concluded that the medical records, witness testimonies, financial behaviour and digital evidence all pointed in one direction, that the accused was mentally sound, fully aware, and deliberate in his actions in the days leading up to and during the attack, rejecting entirely the defence of mental distress.
She insisted on Malice aforethought saying that Onyum intended to cause the death of the minors by the nature of weapons he used, the knife, the parts of the body he targeted ie the postmortem conducted by Dr. Katongole Abdul from Mulago Hospital showed the minors like Eteku who was stabbed with a wound 14cm long on the right side on the neck, Keisha 9cm long wound on the rightside , Ignatius had a 14cm long open wound on the right side of the neck while Odeke had a 9cm wound on the right side of the neck. All wounds caused deep cuts and damaged body tissue and organs.
With the conviction secured on all four counts under Sections 171 and 172 of the Penal Code Act, the court has adjourned to 3PM for sentencing in a case that has shocked and horrified the nation.
