The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | URN | Phibby Namutebi, a caretaker at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre, says she struggled to save the children from the assailant who chased her with a knife. Her testimony closed the first day of the trial of Christopher Onyum Okello, the suspect in the brutal murder of four toddlers on April 2, 2026.
Namutebi’s testimony followed emotional accounts from grieving parents, shifting the courtroom focus from the aftermath of the tragedy to the chilling moments the attack unfolded early this month. Namutebi testified that her first interaction with Okello occurred on Wednesday, April 1, when he approached the gate seeking daycare space for a three-year-old child.
Though she advised him that the child was old enough for nursery school, Okello reportedly insisted on daycare, claiming the child needed more time to socialize. The following morning, Okello returned to the school. Because Namutebi recognized him, he was granted entry to the premises to meet with the administrator, Annet Odongo.
“He was carrying a bag, which we assumed was the child’s school bag,” Namutebi told the court. Under the guise of a “Good Samaritan” helping a struggling woman, Okello paid sh195,000 through mobile money for the enrolment of a child he identified as Zuriel Onyum.
“After completing the process, he was issued a receipt and thanked. We expected the child to start on Tuesday, after Easter,” Namutebi recalled.
The atmosphere of routine administration shattered the moment Okello walked toward the exit. Instead of leaving, he launched a systematic attack on the children in the compound.
“I rushed to the gate and saw Keisha Agenrwot Atim down in a pool of blood,” a shaken Namutebi testified.
Desperate to stop the assailant, she grabbed a child’s bicycle and hurled it at him, but she fell in the process. “By the time I got up, he had already cut another child.”
Namutebi described a chaotic scene where she repeatedly tried to distract the attacker. “I picked another bike and threw it at him as he was heading to attack another child.” At one point, the violence turned toward her.
“He chased me. I had to run for my life. I fell three times, and he approached me with a knife. I thought he was going to cut me, but he didn’t; he rushed back to the children.” The last victim Namutebi witnessed being attacked was Ryan Odeke.
The massacre was finally halted when Silas Odeke, who had been working in the nearby church compound, heard the commotion and rushed to the scene alongside security guard Afande Moses and two others, Timothy and Bashir. Namutebi testified that as the men closed in, Okello threw his primary weapon- a knife over the school fence.
However, the threat was not over. Upon apprehending Okello and bundling him into a security room to protect him from an angry mob gathering, Silas Odeke discovered two additional knives hidden inside the suspect’s socks. Earlier in the day, the court heard the ‘final words’ of the victims. Lawrence Mbazira, the father of two-year-old Ignatius Sseruyange, moved the gallery to tears as he recounted his son’s last goodbye.
“He said, ‘Goodbye, Dad, ’ as he left. He even asked why I hadn’t replied to his greeting. I told him I had. I repeated, ‘Goodbye, son,’” Mbazira testified. Three hours later, his son was dead. Simon Okurut, an Uber driver and father of Ryan Odeke, described abandoning his car in traffic and running to the school on foot, only to find his son lying covered on the veranda.
Stella Apolot, mother of Gideon Eteku, told the court her legs gave way when she reached the school and found no response when she called her son’s name. Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha, who offered consolations to each parent, presided over the session. Despite a request for adjournment from Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya, the judge pushed forward with Namutebi’s testimony following protests from the public gallery.
The trial continues, with the forensic post-mortem reports detailing the “deep and fatal” neck wounds suffered by the four children, now formally admitted as part of the trial record. The court has been adjourned to Wednesday, April 15, 2026, when Namutebi will be cross-examined by the defense lawyers. Several people braved the heavy downpour and stayed the whole day to attend the first open court session in Kampala.
