The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has  criticized the  “community trial” of Gaba Day-care murder suspect Christopher Okello Onyum, describing the process as a “rushed trial” and a form of institutional mob justice.

On April 2, 2026, Christopher Okello Onyum, a 39-year-old Ugandan man who had recently returned from a 20-year stay in the United States, murdered four children in a machete attack at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre in Makindye Municipality, Kampala.

In a statement issued on April 12, the lawyers’ body expressed concern that the handling of the case by the police, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and the judiciary undermines the suspect’s constitutional rights and risks compromising the integrity of the justice process.

According to the ULS, the expedited proceedings have denied Okello the opportunity to undergo a mandatory psychiatric evaluation to determine his mental fitness to stand trial, as required under Ugandan law. The society also noted that the suspect has not been afforded adequate time to secure legal representation of his choice and prepare a defence.

The ULS further criticized the decision to conduct proceedings at the crime scene in Gaba, arguing that the move is insensitive to the affected families and the wider community, many of whom are still grieving following the recent burial of victims.

The society emphasized that the mobile court initiative was originally introduced by the judiciary to expand access to justice in remote areas, not to bypass established legal safeguards or conduct trials in locations where fully equipped court facilities are accessible.

In its statement, signed by the governing counsel, the ULS warned that the prevailing political and public pressure following the April 2, 2026 incident could deny the accused a fair and impartial hearing. The body argued that actions by the executive—such as determining the trial venue and influencing proceedings—risk undermining the principle of presumption of innocence.

“The circumstances under which this trial is being conducted suggest that the accused has already been judged in the court of public opinion,” the statement noted.

The ULS has called on the Chief Justice, Flavian Zeija, to rescind the directive authorizing the community-based proceedings and instead ensure that the trial is conducted in a gazetted courtroom within the High Court’s Criminal Division.

The society maintains that the trial should be halted, describing it as a stage-managed process that could serve political interests rather than the cause of justice.

Okello faced four counts of murder on April 13, 2026, before High Court Judge Alice Komuhangi Kaukha. The hearing took take place at the Gaba Community Church yard.