KAMPALA;Christopher Okello Onyum,the prime suspect in the brutal killing of toddlers at a daycare centre in Ggaba, will learn his fate.
The judgment comes just 29 days after the country was shaken by the killings, in which Okello allegedly hacked four children, all under the age of three, to death in one of the most disturbing crimes in recent memory.
In a rare and unprecedented move, a mobile court was established within the community, marking what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind approach to delivering justice directly to affected residents.
The court has sat for ten days over a period of less than three weeks, following a directive from President Yoweri Museveni ordering the judiciary to “take court to the people of Ggaba.”
Okello, an American national of Ugandan descent, has faced testimony from 18 prosecution witnesses who sought to link him directly to the killings.
The defence, led by lawyer Richard Kumbuga, called only three witnesses, citing challenges in reaching others identified by the accused.
Central to the defence case has been an insanity plea. Kumbuga urged the court to consider Okello’s mental health history, pointing to a reported admission at Butabika National Referral Hospital in 2020, and requested testimony from medical professionals at the facility.
However, lead prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya dismissed the claim, arguing that Okello’s stay at Butabika may have been deliberate and strategic.
“The truth is that after killing his brother, the family took him to Butabika as they prepared to whisk him to the United States,” Muwaganya told court.
The prosecution further contended that Okello never faced consequences for that earlier alleged killing, raising the possibility that additional charges could follow depending on the outcome of the current case.
All eyes are now on trial judge Alice Komuhangi Khaukha, who is expected to deliver a verdict that will hinge on whether the court accepts the insanity defence or finds that Okello was fully aware of his actions at the time of the killings.
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