Christopher Okello Onyum, who was sentenced to death for the murder of four toddlers at a daycare centre in Ggaba has appealed both his conviction and sentence, arguing that the trial court failed to properly evaluate the evidence and wrongly rejected his insanity defence.
Onyum has filed a notice of appeal before the Court of Appeal challenging the April 30 judgment of the High Court, which convicted him of murdering four children at a daycare centre in Ggaba.
Court records show Okello is seeking to overturn the decision of Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha, who found him guilty of the murders of Eteku Gideon, Keisha Agenorwoth Otim, Sseruyange Ignatius and Odeke Ryan.
In his memorandum of appeal dated June 12, Okello argues that the trial judge failed to properly assess the evidence before reaching a guilty verdict.
“That the Learned Judge erred in law and fact when she failed to properly evaluate the evidence before her thereby arriving at a wrong conclusion and occasioned a miscarriage of justice,” the appeal states.
He also challenges the court’s rejection of his claim that he was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the killings.
“That the Learned trial Judge erred in law and fact by not properly evaluating the medical evidence regarding the mental status of the Appellant thereby arriving at a wrong decision,” the appeal adds.
Okello further argues that the death sentence imposed on him was excessive and should be set aside or reduced.
The appellant is asking the Court of Appeal to quash the convictions, set aside the sentence and order his release.
The case stems from the killing of four children at a daycare centre in Ggaba on April 2, 2026, an incident that shocked the country.
While sentencing him, Justice Komuhangi described the murders as falling within the “rarest of rare” category deserving the maximum penalty.
The judge rejected the insanity defence, ruling that medical evidence presented before court did not support claims that Okello was mentally ill when the offences were committed.
“The accused was very sane in April when committing these offences. Therefore, his defence of insanity won’t help him,” she ruled.
In imposing sentence, the court cited the vulnerability of the victims, the circumstances of the attack and what it described as the convict’s lack of remorse.
Justice Komuhangi also stated that she believed the killings were linked to ritual sacrifice, saying she could find no other explanation for the attack on children in a place expected to provide safety and care.
The death sentence was welcomed by relatives of the victims and residents who attended the mobile court session in Ggaba, with some applauding the ruling.
The Court of Appeal is expected to fix a hearing date for the appeal.