MONSTER OKELLO HANGING NEARS! Court Of Appeal Names 3 Judges To Hear Monster Ggaba Toddler Killer's Death Sentence Challenge

The Court of Appeal has constituted a panel of three Justices to hear an appeal filed by Christopher Okello Onyum, who was sentenced to death for murdering four toddlers at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre in Kampala.

According to a judicial officer allocation notification issued through the Judiciary’s Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) on November 10, 2026, the appeal, registered under case number COA-00-CR-CN-0288-2026, has been assigned to Justices Christopher Gashirabake, Eva K. Luswata and John Mike Musisi.

Justice Gashirabake has been designated as the lead judicial officer on the panel. The constitution of the panel marks another step in the appellate proceedings initiated by Okello, who is challenging both his conviction and the death sentence imposed by the High Court.

Okello, 39, was convicted on four counts of murder following a fast-tracked trial presided over by Lady Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha. On April 30, 2026, the judge sentenced him to death on all four counts.

The murders occurred on April 2, 2026, at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre, where four children aged between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half years were killed. The victims were identified as Gideon Eteku, Keisha Agenorwoth Otim, Ignitius Sseruyange and Rayan Odeke.

In her judgment, Justice Komuhangi Khaukha described the murders as barbaric and among the rarest of rare cases, warranting the maximum punishment.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Okello, who is currently detained at Luzira Prison, filed a notice of appeal on May 6, 2026, signalling his intention to challenge both the conviction and sentence.

He subsequently filed a memorandum of appeal on June 12, 2026, raising three principal grounds on which he wants the Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court decision.

He argues that the trial judge erred in law and fact by failing to properly evaluate the evidence presented during the trial, resulting in what he describes as a miscarriage of justice.

He also faults the trial court for allegedly failing to adequately consider medical evidence relating to his mental state during the proceedings.

Additionally, Okello contends that the death sentence imposed on him was harsh and excessive and should be set aside. He is asking the Court of Appeal to quash his conviction, overturn the sentences imposed on all four counts and set him at liberty.

His appeal documents were reportedly prepared with support from the Uganda Law Society’s Legal Aid Project. The constitution of the appellate panel comes amid public attention over the pace of the proceedings, with President Yoweri Museveni having questioned the apparent delay in hearing the appeal.

On October 2, 2026, Museveni raised the matter while addressing a meeting of National Resistance Movement (NRM) Members of Parliament at Kololo in Kampala. He said the justice system should ensure that the public sees justice being done following the killing of the four children.

The President recalled that he had personally pushed for the case to be tried at Ggaba through the mobile court system, questioning why the appeal appeared to have stalled after the High Court had concluded the trial.

“I begged the system. You go and try this boy there. They went and tried, but up to now, the case has disappeared,” Museveni said. The latest judicial allocation notification does not specify when the appeal will be heard or whether the panel has issued any further directions.

The three Justices will now be expected to examine the grounds raised by Okello and determine whether the High Court’s decision should be upheld, varied or set aside.